


Boy With a Scar

by Syluk



Category: One Piece
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Badass Monkey D. Luffy, Canon-Typical Violence, Family, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Torture, Light Angst, Nakamaship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Monkey D. Luffy, Protective Mugiwara no Ichimi | Straw Hat Pirates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-11 03:43:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 100,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7027090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syluk/pseuds/Syluk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luffy disappeared a day after Sabo died. Four years later he came back with a slave brand, burned into his flesh. Whatever happened to him, made Luffy view the world differently. Follow him on his journey to become the Pirate King, the freest person in the world, as snippets of his past slowly reveal itself to his crew.</p><p>(AU, stronger/more mature/darker/jaded Luffy, no romance)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> A/N with some warnings
> 
> *It's a rather slow-paced story. I don't want to rush through things, because I enjoy writing this story a lot.  
> *Luffy is smarter, stronger and sometimes slightly darker. He may seem a bit OOC at times, but it's because of his different background.  
> *There will be many family/nakamaship moments.  
> *There is no romance in this story, but there is a bromance going between Luffy and Zoro. If you can live through 15th chapter, you'll be fine for the rest of the story. I'm pretty sure all relationship among Straw Hats will be deeper and more emotional. Just sayin'.  
> *The story will follow canon story line, but I'll try to stir and shuffle events a bit. My ultimate plan is to visit every canon events (I use manga for reference) and get the same (or very similar) results, but with different approach.
> 
> And with that I hope you'll decide to give this story a shot and enjoy it! :)

Ace kicked a small stone, spitting bitterly.  He should probably go do some training, but he was too angry at that moment. It had been four years since Sabo died, Luffy disappeared, and the injustice of this world came crashing down on his head.

Ace gritted his teeth. It was his fault. All of it! He should have stopped Sabo from leaving, he should have never agreed to work for that bastard, and he should have ran from Bluejam or at least tried to return home faster after the fight.

He still didn’t understand what had killed Sabo. He knew he was murdered by someone extremely powerful, but it confused Ace how somebody could kill a kid in front of thousands and go unpunished. It was strange, wrong, and unfair. But Sabo was gone and he could do nothing to change that now, despite his grief over his dear brother.

Luffy’s disappearance was different. Ace refused to believe his younger brother had also died, but the hope that he still held on to stubbornly slowly diminished with every passing day. After he returned to the bandit hideout with Dadan and got the news that Luffy was missing, he searched every inch of Dawn Island. The only clue was a straw hat that Ace had found in Grey Terminal, after the people of Goa started to fill it with trash once again. He was sure that it was Luffy’s hat, that brat never went anywhere without it. He was probably taken by someone, but nobody knew by whom. Ace was reckless and not very smart, but even he understood that you couldn’t find the person you’re looking for if you don’t even know where to start. So he still tried to find anything or anyone who had information about what happened to Luffy. Frustration grew every day, because every time he came up empty. He felt so helpless.

Ace came out of the forest to the sea coast cliff where the three brothers had loved to spend their time. The stump where they exchanged sake cups of brotherhood was nearby, so this place held a special place in their hearts. Ace stopped surprised when he saw a lone person standing on the slope facing sea. A kid?

“What are you doing here?!” exclaimed Ace. He was furious. How could this kid dare to disturb this place?! “Who the hell are you?!”

He stomped towards the boy, clenching his fists, ready to punch the intruder if he didn’t like the answer. The kid turned around and Ace just froze. All thoughts and rage blew from his head. With wide eyes, the future pirate stared at the child in front of him.

“Lu-Luffy?” he asked with a shaky voice. There was no doubt, it was his little brother. Same unruly black hair, round face, and scar under his left eye.

The boy didn't answer. He was looking straight back at Ace with a confused expression, but his gaze seemed unfocused. His neck was tightly bandaged, with more protruding from under his shirt too. Was he hurt?

Ace smiled as widely as possible and joyfully shouted “Luffy!” He reached for the boy’s hand to pull him into a brotherly hug, but Luffy sharply jerked away from his hand and slapped it in the same moment.

“Don’t touch me!” he suddenly screamed. Luffy staggered back a bit and added with an angry growl, “I’m not your toy, go away.”

Ace was taken aback. This was not how he imagined seeing his kid brother again. Ace was surprised and confused, he had been extremely happy to see Luffy, but all the frustration which had built up through those four years suddenly started to bubble within him. So as Luffy started walking away from him, Ace’s hot temper got the better of him.

“What the hell, Luffy?!” he yelled desperately. “You disappeared all those years ago… Where have you been?! What have you been doing?!” Luffy just kept walking away, visibly struggling to stay upright on shaky legs. Ace tried to grab his hand again, but Luffy pulled it away before he could even touch him.

“D-don’t…” he whispered. His voice was strained like he was using all his strength just to keep himself conscious.

“Why are you acting like you don’t recognize me?” Ace asked with quiet voice. He was at a loss for what to do. Did Luffy forget him? Maybe he really doesn’t recognize him? Can it be that he lost his memory or something like that? He was certainly hurt badly and Ace wanted to help him so much. He gritted his teeth. “Do you really not remember me, Luffy? It’s me, Ace! Your older brother!”

Luffy stopped, Ace held his breath. Luffy turned around, his gaze wandered slowly, before finally fixating on Ace. After several moments of staring, his mouth opened and he gasped weakly, “A-Ace..?”

Ace almost jumped for joy, a wide grin grew on his face and he absently brushed tears he hadn’t even notice appear. Luffy swayed and suddenly fell, but his older brother reacted instantly and was able to catch him in mid-air. It was only then that the older teen felt how hot his brother was. Luffy had a serious fever, probably causing him to act the way he did. Ace scooped him into his arms and started running. He needed to hurry; he refused to let Luffy die the moment he finally came back. He was so light and fragile, if Ace didn’t know any better he’d never have guessed Luffy was 12 years old. He pressed the boy tighter. ‘What happened to him?’ was the only question circling in the future pirate’s head.

* * *

One of the bandits brought some food on a tray and put it down where Ace was sitting, arms around legs and chin resting on knees. The teen only grunted in acknowledgement, not letting his eyes wander from little brother’s sleeping face.

Soon after Ace had burst in with Luffy on his back, Magra helped him change bandages and examine the boy’s body. Most of his wounds were already healed, with the exception of his neck. When they had taken off those bandages, both had just stared at the damage, hypnotized.

There was a huge gash going down the left side of Luffy’s neck. The cut had been carefully stitched and had already started to heal, but it didn’t distract from the devastation.

Ace wasn’t afraid of blood or wounds, but the thought that such a big gash on a neck would have normally been fatal made him recoil from the sight.  He squeezed his hand over his mouth to not throw up the contents of his stomach. At this moment he was thanking all the gods, goddesses, Luffy’s unknown parents, and even the old geezer, that Luffy was anything but normal. Luffy had always healed extremely quickly, but the older teen was sure that a wound like that would leave a scar.

Luffy already had several small round scars all over his body, but mostly on his shoulders and thighs. There was also a large mark burnt onto his back, Ace wondered if it was made by some sicko just to torture his little brother, or if it actually meant something.

Under normal circumstances, Luffy rarely scarred, if at all.

Ace knew that he got the scar under his eye before he ate the devil fruit. After that, his rubber body made it almost impossible to scar unless it was a very serious wound, or made with something which hurt despite his power. Ace shuddered at the thought.

Even though it was the third day and Luffy was still unconscious, his fever had gone down considerably giving hope to them all. Ace finally tore his eyes away from the sleeping boy and rested his forehead on his knees. He was worried sick about all the wounds and scars, but that was not what scared him most.

He was scared that Luffy would not remember him. That his little brother – his always cheerful, idiotic, simple-minded little brother – will not be who he was and will not think of him as his brother. Ace clenched his fists, something twisted in his stomach from just thinking about it. Luffy had said his name on the cliff but that could have just been a coincidence, he could have just been repeating the name stranger gave him. That stranger being Ace.

“Ace.”

Ace jerked up at the voice. He didn’t even notice than Dadan had made her way into the room.

“Ace, you should go rest a bit. You haven’t slept for three days now.” The bandit boss was worried, it was written all over her face.

“I took a nap,” answered Ace, irritated.

Dadan sighted. “It’ll be no help to Luffy if you pass out before he even wakes up, you know?” The woman looked at the untouched food and frowned. “Ace!”

“Fine!” Ace was feeling too tired to argue, so he stood up. He didn’t want to admit it, but Dadan was right. “Just please wake me up if anything changes.” he said, before walking out of the room, stopped briefly at the doorway to glance back at Luffy one more time.

* * *

Ace woke up moments before the room’s door opened with a bang. He was not sure how long he’d been out, and he didn’t care. Ace jumped up and ran, not listening to Dogra’s babbling. His heart pounded against his chest in fear as he closed in on Luffy’s room. He was out of breath when he slid to a stop before the group of bandits trying to peek into the room.

“Move!” he yelled. The adults parted to let him through.

Once in the room, the first thing Ace noticed was an empty bed. In that moment he thought his heart stopped. Was this a nightmare?

“Ace.” Dadan called him softly. Ace just kept staring at the empty space where his little brother had been lying before he left him. Why? Why did he leave him to go rest?! Luffy was here! And he left him alone again! Why!? Why!? Why!?

“WHY?!” he roared. He didn’t hear the bandit boss called him again. With wild eyes, the teen kept staring at the empty bed. He growled furiously.

Slap!

Ace touched his red cheek and looked at Dadan, confused. He narrowed his eyes, but before the curses left his mouth, the woman shushed him.

“Huh?”

“You’re scaring Luffy with your yelling, stupid brat,” she said quietly, and pointed at the corner.

 Ace smiled in relief once he laid eyes on the small silhouette curled into a ball. His little brother was still here, it wasn’t a dream after all. Nobody had come and taken him again. But the way boy cringed in the corner sent off alarm bells in Ace’s head. He squatted down before him.

“Luffy,” he called softly. There was no answer. Ace reached out to touch the boy’s hand to get his attention, but his own hand was slapped away.

“Go away.” The voice was weak and pained.

“Luffy, it’s Ace, remember?”

“Go away. Go away. Go away...” Luffy repeated the two words until he finally shouted, “You’re not real, just go away!”

Ace flinched. Why did Luffy think he wasn’t real? And how could he show him he was wrong? Ace frowned in thought, then it clicked. That thing was always with Luffy; his little brother clung to it as if it was a lifeline. It should help. ‘It will help,’ he persuaded himself.

With an idea of what to do, Ace spun around.

“Dadan, get these morons out of the room. I’ll be back in a moment.”

The curly haired bandit opened her mouth, but Ace was already gone. She instead glanced at the kid in the corner and sighed. Dadan never would have believed that she would see one of those monster children cower like that. It was a heartbreaking sight, she cared for these kids much more than she’d ever admit.

“Alright, morons,” the boss waved to all the bandits squeezing against one another at doorway. “Shoo from here, let the brat get some rest. Go prepare dinner, those two monsters will want something to eat soon.”

The crowd dispersed after some whispering between themselves. Ace came back into the room, nodding to Dadan who glanced at the item in his hands and left the room too, leaving the two brothers alone.

“Luffy, I have something for you.”

Ace squatted down again. When he didn’t get any reaction from the boy, he lifted his hand and gently placed the straw hat on his brother’s head. Luffy flinched from the touch, but after a moment he slowly reached for the hat and faintly gripped the rim. He lifted his head slightly, and Ace noticed how he bit his lip.

“Shanks…” Luffy whispered and tightened his fists around the hat’s rim.

This was progress, and Ace smiled with relief. This was good. At least he knew that Luffy remembered his idol, and now Ace couldn’t be more grateful to that man for giving his worn-out straw hat to Luffy.

“Luffy,” he called out softly, “Do you remember me now?”

The boy bit his lip even harder. “Ace?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Ace grinned.

Luffy pressed his hat down, a sob escaping his mouth. “You’re real, right?”

“Of course I am!” Ace confirmed without hesitation.

Tears rolled down his cheeks before Luffy suddenly launched himself on Ace with a cry. “AAAAAAACE!”

Ace lost his balance and fell down in surprise. Luffy hugged him around the waist as tightly as possible.

“Ace, I’m sorry! I will never do that again! I’m sorry! Don’t make me return to that place. Please, Ace! I don’t want to go back. Don’t… don’t send me back, please, Ace!” The sudden pleas of his little brother dazed him. “I don’t like that place! They said bad things about me and… and they said nobody will come for me! Not you, not Sabo, not Gramps… and you never came! But… but I’m not angry! Just please don’t make me go back!” Luffy squeezed Ace even harder. “They made me do things, Ace. Things I didn’t like to do… Please, Ace, let me stay here. I… I’ll be good, I’ll listen to you, I won’t eat a lot, just… Ace…” Luffy’s voice died, drowned in an open wail, but he still managed to stutter ‘please’ between sobs.

Ace was frozen. His head was empty, his heart skipped a beat with every ‘please’ from Luffy. He couldn’t wrap his mind around what was happening. What kind of sick joke was this? Ace was furious. Luffy was always smiles and sunshine. Who in this sick world made a boy like Luffy beg his brother to let him stay in his own home?

Ace wrapped his hands around the trembling boy, pulling him into a tight hug. “Luffy, I will never ever make you go where you don’t want to.” His voice was a bit shaky, but relatively calm. “You will stay here with me and you can do whatever you want and eat however much you want. You hear me, Luffy?”

The boy nodded slightly. “I missed you and Sabo so much…” he whispered. “Thanks, Ace…”

Ace bit his lip. Luffy didn’t know that Sabo died. There was no way that he could tell him now. Not while Luffy was so broken.

The teen reached down and picked up the straw hat that had fallen on the floor when Luffy threw himself onto his older brother. He placed the hat on the boy’s head again and smiled. “We missed you too, Luffy.”

The two brothers sat in content silence for a while. Ace stroking Luffy’s back, who still squeezed him without any thought of letting him go. Ace had no intention of removing him, he was still deeply disturbed thinking about what had happened to Luffy. Suddenly, his stomach growled, demanding food. Moments after, he heard another growl coming from Luffy.

Ace smiled. Luffy giggled. And for Ace it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

* * *

  **Next Chapter:** Free as the Pirate King


	2. Free as the Pirate King

Luffy refused to be left alone in the room, so Ace just opened the door and yelled out to bring them food because they were starving. Luffy chuckled behind him. Ace smirked.

His little brother was alive. Wounded and scarred, but alive nonetheless. Importantly, he was smiling and laughing already. It was still a wary shadow of the smile and laughter of the past, but Ace was sure Luffy would be back to his old self in no time.

Magra and Dadan brought in the food, a big pile of delicious meat and a jug of water, without any complains. Dogra snuck in after them and closed the door before any of the other bandits could tumble in.

"Eat, brats!" ordered the curly haired boss. "There's more if needed."

"Thanks, Dadan!" Luffy grinned shyly at her.

The woman stared at his happy face for a moment, before suddenly turning around and exclaiming "I-It's not like I'm worried about you or anything!"

"Shishishishi," Luffy giggled and threw his arms into air like he was trying to hug them all. "I missed you guys!"

Dogra and Magra smiled happily and brushed tears from their eyes. Dadan grabbed a handkerchief from her pocket and tried to wipe tears of her own, but it was to no avail.

"I'm not crying, dammit!" she assured them.

Ace watched the exchange with a small smile curved on his lips. He fondly observed Luffy and noticed that the boy touched his hat several times. As long as Luffy had his straw hat he should be fine.

After dinner, the bandits left the brothers alone. Magra dragged Ace's futon to the room they used for the time being, and they both laid down and started to recall adventures from the time they lived together as three brothers.

Luffy was happy, so Ace was happy too. Until night came.

Ace was woken by restless thrashing and mumbling. He opened his eyes slowly, not sure what all the noise was about. Ace was still tired from the series of sleepless nights worrying about his little brother. He glanced at Luffy. At that moment, a painful scream pierced his ears. It sent chills down Ace's spine as he leapt from his bed and stared at the boy.

Luffy was sitting up, looking around with wild eyes. His whole body was trembling and it seemed that he was having trouble breathing, his breaths coming out shallow and uneven.

"Luffy?" Ace called, still quite confused.

The boy instantly turned to look at him, his eyes full of pain and fear. His body tensed up, ready to flee.

Ace silently cursed and before Luffy could run away, he gripped his wrist and pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around the youngster. Luffy flailed and screamed again.

"Luffy! It's me, Ace! You are safe. Luffy! Luffy, can you hear me?"

"NO! Let me go! I will not go back!" the boy screamed, still trying to free himself. "I'd rather die than go back!"

Ace clenched his teeth. He didn't like that. He hated that. He couldn't bear to hear such words from his little brother.

"Ace!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed, desperation seeping out of his shout. "Where are you, Ace!?"

The teen tightened his grip on his brother. "I'm here, you idiot! Right here!"

As he suspected, Luffy didn't recognize his voice nor his presence as he still tried his hardest to escape. And geez, the boy was strong; Ace had to use all of his strength just to keep Luffy from hitting him with his flailing arms. With his arms constricted, Luffy resorted to biting his forearm, but Ace ignored the pain.

After a moment Luffy let go his arm and yelled, "Sabo, help me!"

_Shit_.

Ace was at a loss at what to do, how to make Luffy realize where he was and that he was safe. It was becoming unbearable to listen to his little brother's screams and pleas.

The straw hat.

He swept the room. The hat was peacefully resting on the floor within arm's reach. Ace grabbed it and jammed it on the boy's head. The result was instantaneous, Luffy stopped squirming as he grasped the hat's rim and took a deep shaky breath.

"Are you awake now, Luffy?"

The youngster was still trembling, but he nodded. "Sorry, Ace."

"It's okay," the teen heaved a sigh of relief. "You're safe with me. You will be okay."

Ace pulled Luffy closer to his chest and rested his chin on the straw hat. His heartbeat finally subsided, but his mind was in total chaos with lots of thoughts spinning around. He hated his own helplessness. Ace wanted to help, wanted to know what exactly happened, but he dreaded even thinking of asking Luffy about it. No, it had to be Luffy that decided to tell him, he would definitely not push him to relive those four years.

"You will be fine," repeated Ace, more for himself than for anyone else.

"Ace, where is Sabo?"

Ace stiffened. "He… he's with his parents."

"Can we go visit him?"

"He's pretty busy, Luffy. You know how those nobles are."

Luffy flinched, and Ace cursed himself. He was lying through his teeth, but it was better than telling the truth. At least for now.

* * *

 

Luffy got too anxious during the second day in the room, so Ace agreed to bring him outside.

It was a warm and sunny day. Luffy just sat on the grass in the sunshine with a small content smile on his lips for hours. After that, he refused to go back into the house, so they had to settle and sleep outside. Ace was worried at first, but apparently the fresh air helped Luffy relax more and his nightmares and night terrors got less intense with every passing night.

A week passed quickly. Ace was always within arm's reach, not for a mere moment leaving his kid brother alone. So when Luffy claimed that he wanted to watch the sunset at the cliff, he led him there without complains.

They both were sitting on the edge of the cliff and watching the sun go down in silent. Blue sea waters splashed with red, orange and yellow colors, soothing them. Ace softly smiled.

"Ace, what really happened to Sabo?"

Ace's smile fell. The sudden question was like a slap to the face. Luffy asked like he knew that he was lying.

"I already told you, he's…"

"Tell me the truth," interrupted Luffy, eyes firmly fixed on the older boy.

After a moment, Ace sighed. "Sabo died."

Luffy gasped. The teen closed his eyes, not wanting to see the grief on his baby brother's face, but still ready to comfort him at the first sound of distress. But there was no crying, just another question.

"When?"

Should he lie again? No, it was better to come clean. "The day before you left the hideout and disappeared."

Luffy narrowed his eyes. "How?"

"He sailed to the sea as a pirate and some asshole shot his boat. It caught on fire." Ace ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Dogra saw everything."

Silence. No crying, no denials, nothing. Ace shifted a little, still not looking at the boy next to him. "Look, Luffy–"

"Ohhh," said Luffy quietly, "so Sabo was killed by _them_."

Ace could swear that he heard amusement in Luffy's voice. He glanced at his little brother and froze.

He saw hate. Pure, raw hate. Ace recognized it in Luffy's eyes. He himself was consumed by hate until he met his brothers. Until he met the happy-go-lucky boy who kept chasing him even when he tried to dispose of him countless times. Luffy never showed hate before, anger yes, but never hate. But there it was, in its purest form.

Ace's eyes widened as he suddenly felt like Luffy, _his_ Luffy, was slipping away, into some darkness where he would never be able to reach him. His heart was racing like crazy; he took one deep breath and without even thinking, grabbed Luffy by his hand and pulled him into a hug before his careless little brother faded away completely.

"I-I already lost Sabo," Ace exhaled finally, voice shaky. "I don't want to lose you too, Luffy. Not again."

The boy in his arms shifted slightly, wrapping his own arms around his older brother and whispered, "Sorry."

After a moment, Luffy tilted his head and glanced at the teen. He frowned when he saw tears running down Ace's cheeks. Unknowingly, he touched the straw hat and an idea popped into his head. Luffy smiled, took the hat off, and placed it on Ace's head. His smile widened when his older brother looked at him, surprised.

"I will never leave you alone again, so don't cry, Ace."

* * *

 

After couple of weeks, Luffy's neck wound finally healed, so he removed the bandages. As Ace had surmised, it left a scar. A pinkish line ran across the left side of his neck, easily visible juxtaposed against his darker skin. It didn't bother Luffy much, for a while at least. After he caught his older brother staring at the scar with a grim face he started to bandage it again.

Ace said nothing about it, but he was relieved. Every time his gaze fell on the scar, it stirred fury, frustration, and helplessness in him. Like a mocking reminder that he couldn't protect the one he loved the most.

The boys moved back to their tree house after the bandits nagging about their sleeping arrangements became unbearable, and Ace decided that Luffy was healthy enough. Physically. His mental health made the teen worried sick, so he did everything in his power to help Luffy.

Ace always had a hard time expressing his emotions, excluding anger. He never was a person to show his affection by touch, unless it was bonking a certain idiot's head in the past. He also never received much affection, not even from his brothers. Even if they wanted to do it, Ace would have probably punched them first and then asked what the hell they were trying to do.

Now, Luffy ambushed him with hugs several times per day without any apparent reason. He just clung on for a couple minutes with a huge grin plastered on his face, until Ace gulped down his embarrassment and ruffled the raven black hair of the smaller boy. He even got used to sleeping with his little brother curled beside him as it helped with whatever horrors plagued Luffy's dreams.

The straw hat also assisted holding the night terrors at bay. In his mind, Ace dubbed it 'Luffy's bridge to reality'. The hat was irreplaceable, successfully pulling its master out of the darkness every time he was balancing on the thin line between nightmares and reality.

Lately, after particularly intense nightmares, Luffy requested Ace accompany him to watch sunrises on their favorite sea cliff. Luffy would just sit there with a blank face and empty eyes until a serene smile would bloom on his face, then grow into a content grin. Finally a lively "shishishishi" would crown it all and Ace would find himself tackled into a hug.

This morning was no exception. Luffy merrily giggled while still holding his older brother who just smiled leniently, when suddenly trees behind them exploded. They both jumped up alarmed.

"Bwahahahaha!" a loud laugh broke through trees. "Where is my lovely grandson?"

Ace paled. Luffy grinned from ear to ear.

Garp finally stepped from the forest. "Ah, here you…" he fell silent when he took notice of the second boy. His eyes widened and he gasped. "Luffy?"

"Grandpa!" exclaimed the boy happily. Moments later he was already hugging the old man. "I missed you!"

"You're back!" Garp narrowed his eyes, lifting his hand and clenching it into a fist. "You ungrateful brat! Where have you been all this time?! Hiding from me, or what? You will get four years' worth of my Fist of Love! Bwahahaha!"

Luffy gasped and stepped back. Grandpa's punches always hurt. He paled. It will hurt a lot! It will be painful! No, no, he didn't want to be hurt again!

Luffy cowered, clasping his head in his arms protectively. His body tensed, ready to be punished. But pain never came.

"Don't you dare touch Luffy, bastard geezer!" growled Ace after punching away Garp's fist. Now he stood between Luffy and their grandfather and glared at the latter ferociously. "He finally came back after four years, I will not let you or anyone hurt him anymore!"

Garp was stunned. Firstly, his younger grandson looked terrified. He always was somehow afraid of his own grandpa, but this was different. Luffy never responded to the Fist of Love with such wild fear. Secondly, the older grandson glared at him with a ferocity that Garp had never seen before. He was being treated like an enemy.

Seeing the old geezer so perplexed, Ace turned around. "Luffy," he called gently, "it's alright. No one's gonna hurt you." He grimaced, then noticed that his little brother was shaking. The teen threw an accusatory glare towards Garp before peeling Luffy's hands from his head and putting on his straw hat, which dangled on a string around Luffy's neck. Luffy looked at Ace, and he smiled. "I'll protect you, don't you worry, little brother."

"Okay."

"Ace, can we talk?" said Garp quietly, turned around and walked away.

The teen glared after him, then sighed and put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Stay here." The boy nodded, and Ace followed the old man.

"What happened?" asked Garp in serious tone, once they were out of Luffy's earshot.

"I found Luffy about month ago on this cliff, he was hurt and… delirious." Ace scowled and rubbed his forehead, Garp shifted uncomfortably. "He has scars all over his body, a burn mark on his back, recurring nightm– "

"A burn mark?" interrupted the marine hero. "Does it have a shape?"

Ace narrowed his eyes. "Yeah," he answered carefully. "It's a circle with what looks like three triangles above and one under."

Garp's eyes widened for a moment before he closed them. He swept his hand across his face and with a low growl sat down on the ground. Suddenly he looked so old and tired. "No wonder I couldn't find him…" he sighed wearily.

Ace crossed his arms and eyed his grandfather suspiciously. "You know something?"

"It's… He's…" Garp rubbed his neck absent-mindedly. "It's complicated, and…" he trailed off.

The old man was lost. How could he explain to his young grandson that he was powerless? That mark on his little brother's back was the mark of the World Nobles. Luffy had spent four years in hell as a slave. They were probably the same World Nobles that murdered his other brother.

Ace was too hotheaded to hear any of this. Luffy was definitely traumatized greatly, and Garp realized how his actions probably made it even worse. But apparently Ace did amazing job to soothe the kid.

"How is he doing?" Garp finally asked.

"You're not going to tell me who're responsible, are you, old geezer? Just like with Sabo." Ace stated bitterly. "I will find out eventually."

The marine didn't answer. He stared at his youngest grandson who was observing a caterpillar on his palm with great interest.

Ace sighed. "Physically he's fine, but he has nightmares every night. Some of it is rather violent, but he's doing better already. Luffy is strong, he will be alright after some time."

"Did he tell you anything?"

"No."

"It's better if you don't ask then." Garp stood up. "Ace, you will look after your younger brother, right?"

"You don't need to tell me that, old geezer!"

The marine just smiled faintly. Ace followed him back to Luffy while keeping a close watch.

Luffy grinned at them both.

"I'm glad you're back, Luffy," smiled Garp warmly and patted his grandson on his straw hat, gently.

Luffy's grin grew even more. "Thanks!"

"I need to take care of something, so I can't stay, but I will visit you again soon. Bwahahaha!"

"Please, don't," muttered Ace.

"What did you say, you ungrateful brat?!" The marine hero bonked Ace on the head with an unusually light Fist of Love and laughed again. "Bwahahaha! Be sure to be ready to become great marines next time I come!"

"Grandpa." Luffy's voice was uncharacteristically cold and serious, so much so that both men before him actually flinched. "I will not be a marine."

The boy peered right into the old man's eyes, and his gaze said everything. They were not the eyes of a young child. A storm of emotion raged within them. Determination. Pain. Longing. And hate. So much hate that Garp was taken aback.

"I will become a pirate." Luffy smirked, "No, more than that. I will become a Pirate King. I will be freest person in the world!"

And for once, Garp couldn't do more than just nod.

* * *

 

**Next Chapter:** The Straw Hat of Promises

 


	3. The Straw Hat of Promises

Ace almost tripped over a tree root in his mad rush through the forest. He darted through the trees, looking around wildly.

Stupid boar!

Ace had been so absorbed with the hunt of a yummy looking meat-lump, that he hadn't noticed when Luffy got separated. Slight panic gnawed at him.

Luffy was still not fully himself, even after more than two months. Ace actually had to learn to control his hot temper and keep his head cool in most situations. After the old geezer's visit, Luffy got startled easily, even by a raised voice. Ace tried not to think what would happened if they suddenly were plunged into a serious fight.

Luffy tagged along to every hunt, sharply refusing to stay alone for too long, but he didn't really participate in it. Ace wasn't complaining, he was more than capable to catch the prey on his own. But he couldn't stop wondering what was going on in his little brother's head, why he had such reluctant gaze every time Ace attacked a quarry.

And now he'd lost that kid in the middle of Mt. Colubo forest. The panic started to grow even more as Ace couldn't spot any signs of Luffy's whereabouts. Suddenly he heard a loud crash. A cloud of dust appeared on his left, and Ace promptly sprinted towards it.

When a fierce roar reached his ears, fear seized Ace by the throat. When a huge striped body emerged from the dust cloud, Ace's stomach lurched painfully. When he saw the small hatted figure in front of the tiger, panic surged up in full force.

The beast pounced upon the human in front of it, but the boy managed to jump backwards. The tiger roared angrily again, and attacked with its left paw, but its opponent easily dodged that too. The predator slammed down on its right paw in an attempt to squash the annoying prey, but the boy just laughed merrily, avoided the assault by jumping forwards and running under the tiger's belly to its rear.

"LUFFY!" shouted Ace, still quite a way from the two fighters. "RUN!"

Ace watched how his brother turned around and spotted him. Ace gritted teeth in frustration when the little bastard dared to wave and grin like an idiot, casually sidestepping the tiger's tail attack from behind. What the hell? How did he even manage that?

The tiger swiveled around and glared at its elusive prey.

"Run, you idiot!" screamed Ace again. "You can't beat one of the lords!"

Luffy just smirked. He jumped out of the way of another paw attack, stretched one fist backwards and brought it forward in one swift punch to the beast's throat. The tiger gasped desperately for breath. Luffy grabbed both its ears with stretched arms and rocketed himself high into air.

Ace slid to a halt. His eyes bulging in surprise when Luffy delivered an attack from above, this time with open palms straight to animal's neck. The tiger staggered, its legs gave up, and it fell down. As it weakly lifted its head to growl, Luffy's foot struck like a lightning bolt from the heavens. The lord gargled, its body jerked several times, eventually collapsing completely.

Luffy landed on the now dead predator and beamed at his stunned big brother. "Look, Ace, I got us dinner!"

Ace finally snapped out of his daze and clenched his fists in an attempt to restrain himself from hitting the little idiot. "The hell were you thinking?" he asked in quiet, dangerous voice. "The lords are no joke, he could have killed you!"

"I was training." Luffy deadpanned.

The teen raised an eyebrow in astonishment. "Training..?"

"Yeah!" the straw hat boy cheered. "I figured I wouldn't be punished if I take this fight longer than needed. It's good training." Luffy nodded in agreement with his own thoughts and smiled a toothy grin.

Ace stared at Luffy, pondering what he blurted out. Punished? Punished for taking the fight longer? Did that mean he had to fight constantly? And someone was punishing him? Was that the reason he was so reluctant to help in the hunt? So many questions, so little answers.

Ace knew that he couldn't just ask about it. Very occasionally Luffy would slip like that and say something regarding his unaccounted four years, but every time Ace inquired, his little brother fell silent with a distant look in his eyes. Every time he'd touch the left side of his neck where the scar was and say "The past is in the past," in a strangled voice.

So Ace didn't ask anymore.

Instead he started to piece together the story from every crumb of information, and he wasn't happy with the overall picture. 'Wasn't happy' was understatement. He was furious, horrified, and scared.

Ace was still staring at Luffy. He realized that the awkward silence had stretched for far too long when the hatted boy's smile fell and his face shifted into a worried frown, setting off alarms in his head. He needed to say something right now. Anything!

"What's up with the bandana?" Ace blurted out, instantly wanting to smack himself.

He'd noticed the black bandana around Luffy's neck several days ago, replacing the bandages, but hadn't questioned it. Ace winced when the boy touched his neck's left side and several dark emotions flashed in his eyes.

Luffy fixed his straw hat more firmly on his head and smiled faintly. "With the bandages I look like I'm hurt all the time. Change in style, I guess."

"Anyway," Ace waved at the dead tiger, seizing the opportunity to change the subject. "Amazing hunt, Luffy!"

Luffy beamed at his older brother who inwardly patted himself on the back for a job well done. The boy jumped down from the dead prey and next to Ace, fist-pumping the air in delight. "I told you my Devil Fruit is awesome!"

"Okay, I'll give you that," Ace smirked mischievously, "but you'll still never be able to beat me."

"Oh, yeah?" answered the hatted boy with a cocky grin. "Want to spar with me? Just like old times."

Ace extended his hand. "Hundred fights per day?"

"Hundred fights per day." Confirmed Luffy and shook his hand. "But food first!"

* * *

Ace was sprawled across the grassy field, still shocked. He observed the clouds for a couple of moments, trying to figure out what just happened.

Of course, it was only the first match. Ace hadn't put all of his strength behind his punches, not that it mattered, because he couldn't land a hit. Not a single one! His opponent had kept dancing around his attacks, easily avoiding and sidestepping anything he threw at him.

An uppercut to the jaw had sent Ace flying, and he now found himself on the ground in a daze. The result of this fight was not what he expected.

 _Damn_.

He lost.

But Ace did not felt disappointment or resentment. He was actually pumped up. For whatever reason he felt proud, because his little brother just kicked his ass!

Luffy's head popped into his line of vision, face etched with worry. "Are you alright, Ace?"

"Luffy, that was amazing!" Ace leapt from the ground, huge grin showing all his teeth. "It seemed like you knew what my next attack would be! How did you do that?"

The boy just shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't know how, I just do."

The teen hummed in thought. "So it's some kind of mystery power?"

"Ohhhh! Having mystery powers is so cool!"

"Eh? That's not fair, you cheater," teased Ace, affectionately ruffling his little brother's hair.

"Shishishishi."

The older boy grinned. "But I still have ninety-nine more fights! It won't be so easy for you to win again."

"Ace, we need to get stronger," Luffy said in a serious and determined manner, "and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and then even stronger still!" he peered into brother's eyes. "So that we can be truly free and never have to bow to anyone!"

Ace smiled softly. "And so that we can protect our loved ones and never lose anyone again."

Luffy nodded. "Definitely!" He placed his straw hat on his head and held his hand there, vowing, "That's a promise."

Ace placed his own hand on top of Luffy's. "That's a promise!"

* * *

Ace grinned, amused. These thugs were a joke. He couldn't even call them a warm-up anymore.

"Well, come on, losers!" he taunted the adults before him.

The men only snarled angrily, but didn't make any move to attack him. The Grey Terminal thugs were finally learning not to underestimate the two raven-haired teenagers who had popped out of nowhere a couple of months ago. These guys were new residents in the Grey Terminal, and because the old populace had either died in the fire or escaped and disappeared, they never had a chance to hear about the original three demon brothers.

Ace wasn't a very frequent visitor during the four years after the fire, mostly just wandering around and searching for clues. When Luffy came back, there was no reason for him to come here at all, especially with Luffy's refusal to approach the Goa kingdom. At first Ace was confused why, but later he deduced that it was the place where his little brother was taken. The fact that he found the straw hat in the trash and some slip-ups from Luffy confirmed this theory.

Ace also knew that Luffy was not on Dawn Island for those four years. Neither of them were aware of the identity of Luffy's benefactor who rescued him and returned him home.

After almost a year, they finally showed up in the Grey Terminal again and wreaked havoc on its outskirts regularly. The thugs were not thrilled when they became punching bags for two bored kids.

Ace cracked his knuckles, then smirked cheekily. The men gulped, before suddenly turning around and fleeing like a true demon was on their heels. Ace laughed loudly.

"Did you see that, Luffy?" asked Ace, observing the runaways with a huge grin. "They ran like–"

A heavy thud interrupted his boast, and Ace quickly spun around. His blood ran cold as his brain eventually perceived the scene before him.

One of the thugs lay on the ground not far from Ace. The man's hand still clenched the pistol pointed right at him. Luffy was standing next to him, his metal pipe plunged straight into the thug's head. Literally. A puddle of blood and viscera leaked out around the squished thug's head and Luffy's feet.

Ace glanced at Luffy. The boy's eyes were remorseless and cold, his face serious and composed, his hands didn't tremble in the slightest.

This was not an accident. The man was dead. And his little brother had killed him.

Luffy shifted his gaze to Ace and smiled. It was a little disturbing. The straw hatted boy yanked out his pipe and only then noticed the older teen staring at him with an open mouth and disbelief in his eyes. Luffy tilted his head to one side, confused.

Ace flinched at some furious shouts from other thugs, finally snapping him from his daze. He grabbed Luffy and dragged him back to the forest without saying anything.

After they reached the heart of the forest, Luffy pulled his hand and stopped.

"Ace, what's wrong?" he asked.

Ace also stopped several steps ahead. He closed his eyes, but the image of the dead man stubbornly stuck in his mind.

Not getting an answer, Luffy voiced his concern, "Is it because of that guy?"

Ace gritted his teeth, but still didn't say a word. He wasn't naïve. He knew that becoming a pirate meant that sometimes they would need to kill, but not in such a cold and disturbing way.

"He had a gun, Ace." Luffy's voice became quiet and faint. "He wanted to kill you."

That was even worse. Ace felt guilt overwhelm him. Luffy had to kill someone because of him! He was still a kid, goddammit!

"And it's not like he was the firs–" Luffy bit his tongue before he could blurt out any more. That was definitely not something he wanted Ace to know.

But it was too late. Ace spun around and peered at him. "What?"

Luffy fidgeted anxiously. "They made me do things," he exhaled slowly.

* * *

" _Come on, my pet, you know what to do. Kill it. If you refuse, it will kill you. You will never see your family again. You will never be free. You will die as my pet." A sly smirk slipped onto the owner's lips. "Do you want to be my pet forever? Do it!"_

_Luffy was trembling. His hands were shaking, wrapped loosely around another kid's throat. His opponent stared at him with wide, empty eyes. There was nothing in them, they looked like they already belonged to dead person. Luffy was sure that the tears which smeared the kid's face were actually his own, he blinked and some more dropped drown._

" _Kill it, my pet. Maybe I will allow you to see your brothers if you do."_

_Luffy clenched his teeth. Ace, Sabo… He wanted to see them again. He wanted to run and play, to be free and not be called 'pet' by these horrible people. But first he needed to survive._

_"S-sorry..." Luffy whispered, blinked the last tears from his eyes and tightened his grasp on the other's throat._

* * *

Luffy shook his head, trying to dispel the suddenly emerged memory. He'd already decided not to dwell on the past. It was behind him. More important now was to live each day to its fullest and try to achieve his dreams.

Luffy glanced at Ace. His older brother was still staring at him with a strange glint in his eyes, and he couldn't understand what Ace was actually thinking. The man had a gun and tried to kill him!

"Do you hate me?"

Ace shivered from the question. " _They made me do things, Ace. Things I didn't like to do… Please, Ace, let me stay here._ " The plea from Luffy's first night at home suddenly whirled in his head. Just now he comprehended how his actions affected Luffy. The boy watched him with an unsure and guarded expression.

"God, no, Luffy," Ace pulled his little brother into a hug. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry if I made you think that. You're more important to me than my life."

Luffy pushed away slightly from Ace, just enough that he could peer into his eyes. "Don't talk like that! You can't die, Ace. You've got to promise me," he clenched his straw hat, "that you will never die!"

Ace gently smacked Luffy's head. "Idiot, how could I leave my little brother all on his own? Listen, Luffy, remember this: I'm not going to die!" He smirked. "You should worry about yourself, I'm stronger than you, after all."

Luffy frowned. "You're not! We're a draw!"

"Ah, but you use your devil fruit and mystery power," Ace teased with a mischievous smile on his lips. "And I'm a normal person, armed only with my gut."

"Ace!"

The older teen laughed. "Come, let's get something to eat," he ruffled his brother's hair, "and we can spar some more after that."

Luffy grinned with contentment. "Sure!"

* * *

Luffy was exasperated, especially because Ace eluded this topic with the same extreme persistence he reserved for dodging Garp's Fist of Love.

It was almost two months past Ace's 17th birthday. Whenever Luffy started speaking about him leaving, Ace suddenly remembered that they needed to hunt for food, or spar, or some other excuse.

And so that's what they were doing now, sparring. Trying to talk to Ace about this topic had gotten him nowhere. Luffy clenched his fist from pure irritation and struck his older brother on the jaw. The older teen flew back and hit the ground with a thud.

"Ace," Luffy pointed a finger at him, "you need to leave!"

"Huh?" Ace sat up and looked at him. "You want to get rid of me?"

"You need to sail the seas and start your adventure. All three of us agreed to leave this island on our 17th birthday. You're already late!"

"Sabo left when he was 11," pouted Ace. "So why can't I leav–"

"No!"

Both boys stared at each other with great determination, neither of them wanting to back down. Finally, Luffy sighed.

"Ace, I can't stand between you and your freedom. All three of us dreamed about it, about our own ship, nakama, and adventure. I won't accept your self-sacrifice for me."

Ace blinked in surprise. That's right, freedom. Sabo yearned to be free. He left his luxurious noble life to live free in the Grey Terminal, he left his brothers and sailed the sea just for the sake of it. Luffy yearned for freedom even more after four years in captivity and torture. It meant everything to him, and the mere thought of losing it or causing someone dear to him to lose it was a real torment.

"I know you want to go, but you keep worrying about me," continued Luffy. He smiled, "I'll be okay, Ace."

Luffy was right. He was always right. After all those years in hell, he developed an amazing ability to read people. Ace was unable to hide anything from him, Luffy caught even the slightest shifts in his emotions. If Ace thought that mystery power used in fights was annoying, this one was just mind-boggling!

"But, Luffy, your nightmares…"

"I'll be fine," the boy smiled and plopped the straw hat on his head, "I have Shanks' hat to help me."

Ace smirked. "Pfft, you would choose that old, battered, worn-out thing instead of your brother!"

Luffy frowned. "Don't insult my hat!"

The older teen just laughed lightly. "Don't get angry, Luffy!" He stood up and placed a hand on top of the straw hat. "I have an important promise placed on it, so this hat is significant to me too. I'll make sure to thank Shanks for giving it to you."

"Say 'hi' to him from me!" cheered Luffy.

"Sure thing!" Ace looked at the sun. It was already past noon, but there was still enough time to get ready for his journey. "I guess I'll sail tomorrow morning," he muttered.

Luffy couldn't lie to himself, he didn't want Ace to leave. He was scared to be left alone for the three years until he also turned 17 and started his own adventure. But he would live through it! Luffy couldn't destroy his brother's dream just because he was still haunted by his past. " _And so that we can protect our loved ones..."_ That's right. It was also part of the promise he made that day.

He tackled Ace into a hug.

"I'll miss you, Ace," said Luffy, before chuckling. "Shishishishi. I love you!"

Ace felt his cheeks heat up from embarrassment. His whole face became red. He was definitely not good with conveying his emotions at all.

"Sh-Shut up!" he finally managed to stutter.

Luffy lifted his head, confused why his brother stammered, but Ace pushed his straw hat down over his eyes. He smiled softly. Luffy didn't need to hear the words, because he felt his older brother's presence and it was full of affection.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Pirate in the Barrel


	4. The Pirate in the Barrel

 

Luffy yawned and slowly rubbed his eyes. Ah, that was such a good nap! He tried to stretch, but the cramped space he was sleeping in prevented him from doing that.

The pirate grinned. That's right. He'd left his home island and got sucked into a whirlpool not far from it. With no other means to escape imminent drowning, he had climbed into barrel with absolute faith that he would survive. And he did! Even better, Luffy was no longer in the sea. The fierce swaying and tossing that made him sleepy was absent.

The teen cautiously lifted the lid and looked around. The barrel had been left in a small, dark room, with several other various sized barrels, boxes, and jugs. This probably was storeroom.

Luffy fixed his hat more firmly on his head and silently climbed out. He could sense only one person nearby, but there were a bunch of others a bit further away. The teen felt a barely detectable swaying. Was he on a ship?

Luffy opened the door and scanned the area, a kitchen. There was a small, pink haired kid, sitting on a chair and peeling potatoes in the furthest corner. He was facing the other direction and didn't notice the intruder.

The straw-hatted boy strolled to a table in the middle of the room where he'd spotted a bowl with apples. As he grabbed one, the pinkette sighed heavily.

"Why did I decide to go fishing that day?" he muttered. "I would have never ended up here if I'd just stayed at home."

Luffy jumped on the cupboard and sat in a cross-legged position. He absent-mindedly began to toss the apple up and down while listening to the kid's rambling.

"Ah, it was a fateful day, I'm sure of it," the boy dropped the finished potato into a bucket and took another. "All I wanted to do was relax and fish for a bit. How could I have known that the boat was a pirate ship?"

Luffy caught the apple again and looked around. So it was a pirate ship, huh? How disappointing. There wasn't anyone worth fighting here.

The pink-haired boy sighed again. "It's been two years already… I'm so pathetic. If I had more guts, I could run away," one more potato went down into the bucket, "but whenever I think of Alvida-sama finding out, my legs turn all mushy."

Luffy frowned. The kid practically wallowed in self-loathing, but he couldn't miss the point that he didn't want to be here. Luffy bit into his apple and asked, "Do you have a dream?"

"Sure I do!" the pinkette happily replied. "I want to become a… become a… become…" he trailed off as he slowly realized that it was definitely not an imaginary voice who asked the question. The boy swiveled around, almost tripping over his own feet. His eyes bulged, jaw dropped, and he froze from the sight of the straw-hatted teenager, casually sitting in front of him and munching on an apple.

Luffy took notice of an ugly bruise on the kid's cheek and several smudges of dry blood on his shirt. He let a friendly smile slip onto his lips before waving a hand in greeting. "Hi! I'm Luffy. You?"

"C-Coby."

"So, Coby, what's your dream?" the teen inquired again, snatching a second apple and throwing it whole into his mouth.

"I want to become a marine." The pinkette answered without a second thought. At that moment, the entire situation hit him. This person was certainly not one of Alvida-sama's crewmembers. Who was he?!

Luffy eyed him with open disappointment. "A marine, huh?"

Coby's head drooped, his shoulders slumped in defeat. "Of course, a person like me could never–"

"No, no," the hatted teen interrupted him, "I wasn't mocking your dream, I just don't like marines in general." He slid from the cupboard and turned around to check the fridge.

Coby let out a sigh of relief. This strange teen didn't seem to be dangerous, but his gaze felt like it pierced directly through his very soul. Being under such heavy scrutiny was not good for his heart at all.

Now that the stranger had turned his back to him and was busy shoveling everything from the fridge, Coby had a minute to take a good look at him. He was a scrawny, young teen, maybe not even older than 15, with short, raven colored, unruly hair. He wore a simple long-sleeved red shirt, blue shorts, and sandals. A black bandana was tied around his neck, and an old looking straw hat was placed on his head. He also had a small dagger in an ornamental sheath, and what looked like three metal sticks strapped to the lower part of his back.

"L-Luffy-san, right? Where did you come from?"

"Eh?" the pirate glanced at him, mouth full of food. "I came from the barrel," he pointed at the storeroom door.

"The barrel…?" Coby blinked in confusion. The only new barrel they got was the one he found in the cruise ship that they raided earlier today. He was the one to show it to Alvida-sama to appease her. They all thought it was full of sake or wine, but if Luffy-san was in there… Coby blanched.

"Ahhhh!" exclaimed Luffy, patting his finally satisfied stomach. "That was a good food! Oh!" he remembered something, turned around to face the pink haired kid and grinned. "Thank you for the snack!"

Coby glanced at the fridge, which was now totally empty. "You ate everything?!"

"Shishishishi." The stranger chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I was hungry after the nap."

"No, it's not important!" he suddenly shouted hysterically and gave a deep bow. "I-I'm very sorry!"

Luffy tilted his head to one side. "For what?"

"It was me who brought your barrel onto this ship," still bowing, Coby explained. "You need to get out of here, Luffy-san, before Alvida-sama finds you!"

"Nah, don't worry about that," the hatted teen brushed it off like it was nothing. "But you're right, I can't stay here. I need to find my crew. Do you have a boat I could use?"

The pinkette looked at him, confused. "A crew?"

Luffy grinned confidently under his straw hat. "A crew worthy to sail with the future Pirate King!"

"EHHHHHHH? P-pirate King?" Coby blinked. "That means Luffy-san is a pirate?"

"That's right."

"B-but the Pirate King is someone who has everything in this world! Wealth, fame, and power, all united within one person! The owner of the world's greatest treasure, One Piece!"

"You can also add sheer freedom to that list," suggested the pirate youngster, smirking teasingly.

"Impossible! Impossible! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! To stand on top in this great pirate era is impossible!" The pinkette ranted for couple more minutes about how impossible this feat was until he ran out of breath and had to stop. Luffy just observed him with small, knowing smile.

"It's not about if it's possible or not," the teen put a hand on top of his straw hat. "It's all about the conviction to chase after your dream. I don't care if I die doing it. After all, there are scarier things than death in this world."

Coby just stared at the smiling pirate. His words were steeled with such an amazing resolution. His whole being vibrated from barely held excitement to do just that: simply chase after an impossible dream without any restraints and thoughts of consequences. Coby felt like he was suddenly struck by lightning.

"Could I… Could I do that too?" he whispered.

"What? Become the Pirate King?"

"No! Become a marine!" the boy increased his voice. "Joining the marines and catching bad guys has always been my dream! I will do it! I will run from here and stop working as a slave for Alvida-sama! No, I will catch Alvida-sama!"

"That's awesome, Coby!" Luffy slapped him on the back to encourage him even more. "Now, let's go and catch her!"

"EHHHH? Right now?! Impossible, I'm not ready..!"

"Well," the future King sighed, "that's a short lived conviction if I ever saw one."

The kid had started to rant about impossibilities all over again. Luffy scowled in irritation.

"Coby!" he yelled.

The boy yelped, but answered with a meek, "Aye?"

"Pull your head out of your pants and let's go!" Luffy grabbed him and dragged him out of the kitchen. He smiled at the petrified boy over his shoulder. "Don't worry, I have your back."

"You have my arm, not my back!" Coby shrieked.

The pirate just laughed merrily, rounded a corner and stopped. Before him stood a huge, fat woman with a spiky iron mace propped on her shoulder. She sneered down at them both. Alvida eyed Luffy suspiciously first, then her gaze flickered to Coby. Three men behind her snickered mockingly.

The pinkette cowered, vainly trying to sink into the floor. The raven-haired teen just stared. Suddenly he pointed a finger at her, looked at Coby and asked innocently, "Who's this baby whale?"

Alvida and her lackeys growled furiously. Coby gasped and tried to grab Luffy by his shoulders to shake some sense into him, but the straw hatted pirate avoided his grip.

"Ah, I must say sorry," he stated suddenly, and the pink-haired kid sighted with relief. "Makino once said that baby whales are cute. I shouldn't insult them like that." He ignored the terrified Coby and turned to face Alvida again.

The woman's face turned red from anger and several veins popped on her forehead.

"COBY!" she roared, forcing the poor boy to almost faint from fear. "Who's the most beautiful woman in all the seas?!"

"W-why of course i-it's…" Coby was choking on his own words when a hand landed on his shaking shoulder. Luffy peered right into his eyes, encouraging smile on his face. _"It's all about the conviction to chase after your dream. I don't care if I die doing it."_ The boy remembered the words of the young pirate and they made him think that maybe, just maybe, he somehow could overcome his fears and fight for his own dream like that.

Coby clenched his fists, took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs: "YOU'RE THE UGLIEST OLD HAG IN ALL THE SEAS!"

Luffy burst into laughter. This kid may have wanted to become a marine, but he was alright in his book. And that meant that Luffy had to save his hide.

He pushed Coby, who was white as a paper, out of the iron mace's way and easily avoided it himself. Without any delay, he shot forward and threw a punch into the woman's stomach. Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from the force of the attack, causing her large body to fly backwards. She cleaned up the three goons still standing behind her as she skidded along the hallway and through a wall.

With a huge grin plastered on his face, Luffy made his way through the hole and stepped out onto the deck. Coby quietly scurried after him.

A bunch of bewildered pirates tore their eyes from the beaten frame of their captain and fearfully looked at the small hatted figure.

"Shishishishi. Now, you three," Luffy pointed at a trio standing nearby, "prepare a boat for me and Coby." He pointed at another duo of pirates. "You two, stock some food and drink onto the boat for our journey. The rest of you," he waved his hand in the general direction of the crew, "bring all your treasure and money."

The pirates gritted their teeth and their expressions darkened. "Who do you think you are, punk?!" screamed one and jumped to attack, but was instantly flung across the deck with a kick. Two swordsmen growled and slashed their sabers at Luffy, but he casually ducked under the blades, grabbed their heads, and smashed them against each other. He cautiously scanned through the rest of the crew. No one else moved.

A smile slid on the future Pirate King's lips again, but this time it was not a happy grin, nor it was a cocky smirk. Alvida's goons shivered from his evil smile, a smile promising them a great amount of pain.

"So?" asked Luffy, amusement clearly in his voice. He didn't need to tell them more, pirates scrambled to fulfill his orders like their life depended on it.

* * *

Luffy raised an eyebrow at the Alvida's goon who gulped nervously. "That's all you have?" asked the boy. The man in front of him heartily nodded. Luffy looked back at the measly bag of treasure and beli. "That's really all you have?" he inquired again.

"Sorry, Sir," the pirate gulped nervously again, "we were robbed blind before our last raid, so we only have loot from one attack."

"Robbed? Pfft," Luffy tried to hold in laughter, but failed miserably. It echoed through the silent ship, much to the displeasure of the residents. "You're rather crappy pirates, aren't you?"

The straw hatted teen grabbed the treasure bag and tossed it over the railings, completely unfazed by all the angry glares and growls. When he heard a raucous sound from below, followed by a scared yelp, Luffy looked over his shoulder to the dinghy and called to the boy already inside, "Are we ready to leave, Coby?"

"Y-yeah, Luffy-san!"

"Alright then," he sighed, glancing over all the men on deck and smirked. "I have a parting gift for you before I leave. It's for _taking care_ of Coby."

Before anyone could react, he stretched his leg upwards and brought down heavenly wrath. The ship swayed violently, wood creaked as cracks ran across the deck. Luffy repeated the attack, ultimately shattering the ship into several pieces, before jumping to the dinghy.

"Have fun, losers!" he bid his farewell while waving both hands towards the totally defeated, weeping pirates.

Luffy settled comfortably in their little boat and laughed at Alvida's sinking ship. Coby stared at it for a while, then glanced at the young pirate and laughed nervously.

"That was fun!" stated Luffy finally, when they'd drifted far away from the unfortunate pirate crew.

"Um, Luffy-san, where are we sailing?"

Luffy hummed. "Beats me. My crewmembers could be anywhere. Where do you want to go?"

"M-me?" the pinkette stuttered, but composed himself and said, "Shells Town is about a day from here. There is a marine base and I-I could probably join them."

"Marine base, huh?" the pirate frowned, but then lifted his head to watch the clouds and sighed tiredly. "Well, I guess we can go there."

Coby grinned happily, shifted the sail slightly in accordance with their new destination. After a moment, he spoke again, "Now that I think about it, there are rumors that the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro is held in that base."

That piqued Luffy's interest. "Pirate hunter?"

"Rumors say he is a bloodthirsty killer, wandering the seas and slaughtering everyone who stands in his way. He's a demon in the form of a man." The boy shivered just from talking about such a dangerous and evil man. "He's also called the Demon of the East Blue."

That sounded interesting. Luffy smiled. "Is he a swordsman, by any chance?"

"I think he is. Why?"

The pirate's smile grew to an impossible size. "Swordsmen are so cool! I want to see him!"

"Don't be stupid, Luffy-san! He's a demon!" shrieked Coby. "He's gonna kill you the moment he lays eyes on you!"

"Let him try, shishishishi. I bet a demonic swordsman is even cooler! I need the best for my crew." He leapt onto the dinghy's bowsprit, fist-pumped the air and exclaimed "Set course to Clam Town to meet the demon!" He burst into laughter, completely ignoring the terrified shouts from his companion about demons, bounty hunters, and being killed because of carelessness.

* * *

"We're finally here! Clam Town!" Luffy yelled excited, the moment he jumped from the dinghy to the ground.

"Shells Town, Luffy-san, I told you several times already. It's called Shells Town." Coby heaved a heavy sigh. Dealing with this extremely exuberant teen was much harder than he could ever have imagined. Once he got a crazy idea stuck in his mind, nobody could talk him out of it. Not even when his own life was in danger.

"Let's go meet the demon!" stated Luffy and promptly started walking up the hill towards the navy buildings. It was still in the early morning, so people just began to fill the streets. Nobody paid any attention to two young boys.

Coby stalked after Luffy, lacking any motivation to meet the infamous pirate hunter or join the marines. "Luffy-san, you should reconsider. Roronoa Zoro is a dangerous man. He was caught by marines because he probably did something really bad." The pinkette shivered. "Maybe he slaughtered the town or something."

The hatted pirate just snorted. "Just because marines caught him, doesn't mean that he's a bad man."

"He's a demon! Marines are justice! They would never arrest an innocent man!"

Luffy stopped and unconsciously touched the left side of his neck. Some dark memories resurfaced, but he shoved them off immediately. He needed to think about something else. Anything. He looked at the ugly building on top of the hill. He'll soon see the cool swordsman and maybe find his first nakama. That's it! He just had to focus on that.

His stupid companion still rambled about how perfect and just the navy was, oblivious of the annoyed, cold glare Luffy sent his way.

"Coby, shut up." He uttered in a low, dangerous voice, and the pinkette almost melted away under his fierce glare. "You're too naïve if you think that marines would never touch an innocent person. They'd do that easily, and sometimes go even further." He touched his scar again, and pinned Coby with his soul piercing eyes. "You'll never be truly just, if you continue to believe that all marines are saints or that all pirates are evil."

Coby gulped. He remembered Luffy saying that he didn't like marines, but his eyes now showed enormous hate towards them. Just now it clicked that it was a bad idea to glorify the navy in front of him. He made this extremely powerful pirate furious!

Inwardly, Coby had already started saying goodbye to his miserable life, but Luffy finally shifted his gaze back to the base. Coby almost fainted from relief. Now he wasn't sure who the true demon was, and swore never to make this teen angry ever again.

They reached their destination in silence. Coby was mulling over Luffy's words, and only snapped out of it when his companion happily exclaimed "We're here!"

Luffy strolled along the wall, trying to reach the presence he could sense a bit further away. It was stronger and much fiercer than any other presence he'd felt until now. It wasn't cold or hostile in any way, which he'd expected from a 'demon', only bitter and lonely.

Luffy leapt onto the wall, barely able to contain his excitement. He pulled himself up and sat cross-legged on top, laying his eyes on the so called pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro, for the first time.

The man was tied to a wooden cross in the middle of an empty execution yard, like some poor excuse for a crucifix, with his eyes hidden under the shadow of black bandana. Luffy noticed trails of dry blood on his face, it was smeared on his shirt as well, mixed with sweat. He seemed tired, starved, thirsty, beaten, and definitely nothing like the bloodthirsty Demon of the East Blue.

But if this Zoro guy had such a vigorous presence while weakened, and radiated pride even when bound and beaten, he was certainly a man worthy to become a nakama of the Pirate King.

Luffy couldn't restrain his lips from splitting into a huge grin. So that's what his swordsman looked like.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Pirate King and his Swordsman


	5. The Pirate King and his Swordsman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for kudos, bookmarks and comments! :)

Luffy couldn't contain his lips from splitting into a huge grin. So that's what his swordsman looked like.

He was drawn from his musings by a scared cry beside him. Luffy glanced at Coby who had also climbed the wall and was now staring at the pirate hunter with wide eyes full of terror.

"Th-th-that black bandana… Green haramaki… Three earrings… I-it's him! It's Roronoa Zoro!"

Luffy rolled his eyes. "Well, duh." He was sure that no one else could have such an impressive presence in this island. The hatted teen smiled again. "He's my first nakama."

"S-stop joking!" the pinkette paled. "You know nothing about this guy! How can you decide that from one glance?! If you free him, he could kill you!"

"Why would he do that? He's a bounty hunter, right? I still don't have a bounty," Luffy pouted. "Besides, I'm strong too."

Coby let out an exasperated sigh. What the hell was wrong with this guy?

"Oi, you!" Zoro shouted with a hoarse voice and lifted his head to glare at the two kids. "This isn't a zoo! Piss off!"

His glare made Coby's hair stand on end, but Luffy only grinned.

Suddenly his attention was drawn to a young girl who was struggling to squeeze through the gap in the gates on the left side of the execution yard. The pirate curiously watched as a dark brown-haired girl eventually stumbled inside, cautiously looked around, and then sprinted to the tied up prisoner. Luffy noted her tightly bandaged arm, a small bundle of cloth was safely tucked between the straps.

"AHHHH! What are you doing, girl?!" Coby shrieked in total panic. "Luffy-san, she'll get herself killed!"

"Oi, oi, oi!" swordsman also yelled at the same time, there was worry in his voice. "What are you doing here, shorty?! Did you forget what happened yesterday? GO AWAY!" He looked at the two boys on the wall and shouted in their direction, "Get her out of here, you damn brats!"

"But, onii-chan, you haven't eaten anything for more than two weeks. I made some new rice balls for you," she unfolded the bundle, revealing two neatly done rice balls, and smiled proudly. "This time I made them with salt!"

"I'm not hungry, dammit! Go away, before you get hurt again!"

"Well, well, well," the smug voice startled them both. "I thought I heard voices in the yard. Aren't you the same pipsqueak from yesterday?"

The girl froze, all color drained from her face. Zoro growled angrily at the young blonde man who was walking slowly towards them, smirking cockily. Two marine bodyguards trailed behind him. They stopped right in front of the heavily shaking child. The rice balls dropped on the ground, and the girl took a step back.

"Again with these disgusting rice balls?" he screwed up his face in disdain. "I already warned you, and my daddy also said to kill you," he grinned and glanced at one of his lackeys. "You do it."

"B-but, Helmeppo-sama…" the marine stammered.

"Are you trying to disobey me and my daddy, EH?!"

"No, sir! Right away, sir…"

Marine lifted his rifle with trembling hands and pointed it at the girl.

Zoro gritted his teeth. He struggled helplessly against his bindings. "You son of a bitch!" he roared. "STOP! She's just a kid!"

"Oi." A cold voice suddenly pierced through the silence, and they all whipped their heads to look at the straw hatted teen, still comfortably sitting on the wall. "Don't touch that girl."

Helmeppo gulped under the icy glare of the stranger. "W-w-who are you?"

"Name's Monkey D. Luffy," he introduced. His eyes flickered to the petrified child and he smiled warmly at her. "Come here, we'll see you home."

She scurried to him without a second thought. Luffy picked her up gently and moved her to the other side of the fence.

"Coby, lead her home, I'll come in a moment."

"O-okay," the pinkette complied, jumping down from his spot and rushing to the girl who was still deeply shaken.

Luffy turned to the people in the yard again. The marines were still gaping at him, but Zoro had a small, relieved smile on his face.

Luffy scowled. These marines reminded him of the ones he met in _that_ place. No regards or sympathy towards other human beings. He already hated this island, it made him lose his good mood and remember things he'd long since buried.

* * *

" _S-sir? This kid…"_

" _Yeah, what about him, lieutenant?"_

" _He has a slave brand on his back."_

" _What?! So he's one of those pieces of trash? Tch. No wonder he looks so beaten up. Oi, you, where is your master?"_

" _He said his name was–"_

" _Slaves don't have names, lieutenant. Contact the base and tell them to send a message to the Celestial Dragons that one of their runaway pets is here."_

" _He also has this strange collar around his neck."_

" _Isn't that collar supposed to blow up when they run away?"_

" _I think it's made from sea stone, sir."_

" _A Devil Fruit user, huh? Well, whatever. A slave is a slave."_

* * *

Luffy shoved that memory back into the deepest part of his mind. He'd begged for help at that time, and was betrayed by those who swore to uphold justice.

"D-do you know what you are doing, punk?" the blond snapped. "I will tell my daddy! Y-you'll be executed!"

The pirate couldn't fight the grin which grew on his face from such a poor attempt at intimidation. "Sure," he said, amusement clear in his voice, "go and do that."

"You'll regret this!" Helmeppo huffed. "Roronoa Zoro," that annoying smug smirk had returned on his lips when he faced the prisoner again, "your endurance is really worthy of my respect. I never imagined you could survive for so long. So I've decided," he paused dramatically, "that you'll be publicly executed today at noon!"

Zoro's heart almost stopped. "What..?"

The blonde just laughed at him scornfully, then pointed at the two marines, "You two stay here and stand guard. Don't allow anyone to come near him, understand?!"

The men saluted. "Yes, Helmeppo-sama!"

With one last glance at the straw hatted teen, Helmeppo turned around and started to walk away.

"You said all I had to do was survive one month! That was our deal, you bastard!" the pirate hunter spat after him.

"I never promised to release you. Only an idiot would have believed that," he laughed again and waved his hand. "Have fun while you can!"

Zoro glared after him. Right now he wished that glares could kill, if he ever got his hands on that blonde bastard… "Shit," he muttered.

Two marines took their places at either side of the wooden cross, prepared to do their duty with rifles at the ready.

Zoro knew he was in a really tight predicament. He began to wriggle his hands in an attempt to free himself, but his effort was in vain. The swordsman didn't have enough strength anymore to escape on his own. _"You're weak as usual, Zoro."_ Ah, Kuina was so right about him…

Luffy quietly observed the declaration of execution and Zoro's desperate attempt to escape after it. He would never allow the marines to kill him, but Zoro didn't need to know that. He could use this situation for his own benefit.

"Soooo," the straw hatted pirate drawled, his mischievous smile catching everybody's attention, "you're going to die?"

Zoro bared his teeth. "Screw you!"

The black-haired kid was an odd one. The hunter glared at him with all the animosity he could muster, but the kid didn't even bat an eye. To the contrary, his smirk grew impossibly wider. Maybe the boy was not right in the head.

"Join my crew!" he proposed eagerly.

The guards shifted from one foot to another.

Zoro blinked. "What?"

"Shishishishi. Join my pirate crew!" Luffy repeated. "And I will help you escape."

The marines clenched their guns tighter. One of them stepped forward and loudly stated, "We cannot allow such talk in front of us!"

Luffy spared him a split second glance, and then dismissed him completely again, giving full attention to his future nakama.

"Pirate crew?" The swordsman snorted. "Are you a cabin boy for some pirate scum or something? Go home, kid, and stop dreaming."

Zoro closed his eyes. Sure, he could accept an invitation to join 'the pirates' and ask the boy to free him, but he doubted he could protect them both from the marines in such a weakened state. His treasured swords had been taken, and even if he could escape, going against the navy would turn him into a wanted criminal. The hunter would become the hunted. But to die here was also out of the question, the problem was how to avert that.

"I'm not a cabin boy, I'm the captain!" Luffy chuckled at the sight of all three men's eyes widening in surprise. "And to stop dreaming would mean acknowledged defeat to this world. That will never happen!" He placed a hand on top of his straw hat. "Dreams are promises to yourself. You should never break a promise."

Zoro had his own dream to pursue, his own promise to fulfill. _"I'll become so strong that my name will reach the heavens! I'll become the strongest swordsman in the world!"_ But he was torn. Even if the kid really was a pirate, he probably couldn't even throw a punch to save his life. The two guards were under orders to stop anyone from even approaching him. The boy was still safe because he was sitting on the wall this whole time. Could he risk an innocent life to save his own?

"Well," Luffy turned around to leave, "think about my offer. See ya!"

"Wait"–

But the hatted teen was already gone. Tension seeped from the marines' shoulders. That so proclaimed pirate captain was just a teenager, but gee if he wasn't a bold one.

Zoro sighed, feeling way too tired to deal with this situation. He had no other choice but to place his trust on some unknown kid. The idiot looked trustworthy enough. The swordsman frowned, surprised by his own thoughts. Why did he believe he could depend on that strange pirate?

Zoro stared at the rice balls on the ground. Damn, he was so hungry…

* * *

"Coby!" Luffy called, finally spotting his pink-haired companion, sitting on a bench near some restaurant. He waved his hand. Coby answered him with a shy wave of his own.

It took a while for Luffy to find him. The girl was gone, and Coby looked troubled.

"What are you doing here?" asked Luffy. "Are you hungry?"

"Ah, no. This is Rika's home," he tilted his head towards the restaurant. "It belongs to the family of the girl you saved from those marines."

Worry gnawed at Luffy. His friend seemed sad, and… ashamed? "Coby, what's wrong?"

"Luffy-san, you were right," he heaved a tired sigh, and his head drooped even more. "Rika told me everything. Marine captain Morgan executes everybody who dares to disobey him, his son is no better. Zoro was arrested because he killed Helmeppo's pet wolf when it attacked Rika. And he even ordered to toss her from execution yard! She broke her arm!" Coby suddenly jumped from the bench and peered at Luffy with determined fire in his eyes. "I-I don't want to be like these marines! I want to be a good one! A marine who protects the innocent!"

Luffy smiled. Yep, Coby was still alright, as far as he was concerned. He flashed a thumb up to him, showing his approval, before looking back to the street. He sensed the annoying presence making his way here. It was almost noon.

"Coby, can you do me a favor?" Luffy asked. Seeing the boy nod, he requested, "Get some beli from our boat and ask the owner of this restaurant to make some food for me and Zoro. I bet he's hungry," he smiled. "Oh, and also ask to prepare a bath for him and some clean clothes."

Coby gawked at him. That was extremely mindful. He would have never guessed that this exuberant teen could be aware of the needs of starved and beaten person. He seemed like a happy-go-lucky fellow without any care for life's hardships.

"You're going to free Zoro?"

"Of course!" Luffy grinned. "He's my nakama!"

Coby just nodded, and hurried away to fulfill the request. Luffy turned to face the street, where he'd spotted a purple suit.

"Is everyone looking forward to the public execution of the infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro?" laughed the blonde. "I, the great Helmeppo-sama, will become the one who brought down the Demon of the East Blue!"

People just cowered, averting their eyes from the marines in shame. Everyone in the town knew that the young man was innocent, but no one dared defy the tyranny of Axe-hand Morgan. So, they almost fell from shock when a scrawny boy with a straw hat made a beeline for the pompous blonde, and slapped him across the cheek so hard that he spun around and collapsed ungracefully. Several snickers echoed around the surrounding crowd.

Helmeppo's new escort just gaped until Luffy took them out by smashing their heads together. He didn't need any interruptions.

"What the hell are you doing?!" the blonde glared, but was instantly frozen meeting the eyes of the young pirate. "AHHHH! It's you!"

Luffy smirked darkly. He wanted to beat the living daylights out of him, but this asshole had Zoro's sword. It would be faster to ask him where he put it. And if he wouldn't comply… Well, he would slap him until he did.

* * *

Luffy looked around the room, and spotted three katanas propped against the wall in the corner. He grinned, pushing Helmeppo aside, and hopping across the room.

"Oi, which one is Zoro's?"

The room was empty. The pirate shrugged, at least the blond bastard knew how to flee fast. He grabbed all three swords, opened the window, and jumped down. Humming some melody he couldn't remember where he'd heard it, Luffy made his way to the execution yard.

"Zoro!" he happily called, startling all three men, once he jumped over the inner gate. "I got your sword back!"

One of the guards reluctantly lifted his rifle and pointed it at the teen. Luffy just narrowed his eyes, promptly dashed towards the man and punching him in the face. The marine flew backwards like a rag doll and landed further away in a cloud of dust.

"How rude," Luffy sulked. "I don't like people pointing guns at me."

Zoro stared, stunned. That certainly was a punch which could save one's life. And the kid's speed was amazing. So, he wasn't lying when he said he was a pirate.

Luffy shot a glare at the second marine who flinched. He tried to lift his gun, but because of his trembling hands he almost dropped it. Instead, the man just turned around and fled the area.

The straw hatted teen beamed at Zoro, holding all three katanas in front of him. "So, which one is yours? I couldn't tell, so I grabbed all three from that stupid onion head."

"You went to the base all alone just to pick up my swords?"

"Yep!" Luffy popped the 'p' childishly.

The pirate hunter smirked. "All three are mine. I use three katanas."

"So, will you join me?"

"That's enough!" boomed a loud voice from the inner gate.

Both young men turned their heads to watch as a group of marines ran inside, lined up, and lifted their rifles. A tall, blond man with a metallic jaw and a huge axe on his arm sneered behind them.

"Are you two planning a political upheaval?" he asked. "Roronoa Zoro, do not underestimate me! Your skills, compared to my strength, are nothing!"

Luffy snorted. "That's such a stupid thing to say to a bound man. Zoro could beat you anytime, even in his weakened state."

The swordsman glanced at the teen, surprised.

Morgan just laughed. "Before my great strength, you're just garbage! Men, take aim!"

Luffy dropped the katanas on the ground and placed his straw hat on top of them.

Zoro felt the dread creep in. He stared fearfully into the black abyss of a rifle's barrel. He couldn't die here, but there was no way the boy would free him in time now. He still had things to do, dying here was–

"FIRE!"

–not an excuse for breaking his promise to Kuina!

A red shirt suddenly appeared in his line of sight. Zoro's eyes widened, and his breath stuck in his throat, once he registered that the black-haired pirate had stepped in front of him. "…YOU!"

Gunshots echoed through the execution yard.

Luffy shifted slightly to catch all the bullets, but he was forced to step back when the projectiles hit him. With a grunt, he stumbled forwards and they all bounced back.

The marines' eyes bulged out and jaws dropped from the shock. The kid was alive, without so much as a scratch, glaring furiously at them.

"You really have guts to shoot me," said Luffy with a voice just above whisper. "I HATE BEING SHOT!"

He stretched his leg and swatted the marine grunts like flies, earning a bunch of painful screams and wails.

"Wha…" Zoro gaped. "What are you?!"

Luffy glanced at him and grinned. "I'll tell you later." Without any warning, he darted towards the axe-handed man and smashed a fist into his face. Morgan staggered backwards, and scoffed at the youth. He threw off his coat.

"People like you, without status–" he started, but Luffy interrupted him with a side kick, making him bite his own tongue.

"I don't care," the pirate stated bluntly. He shot forward with his fist stretched behind him, ducked under wide sweep of axe, and threw his punch right into the solar plexus, sending his opponent to the ground, several metres away.

"Oi, Straw Hat!" Helmeppo screeched, drawing Luffy's attention. He was standing near Zoro and held a pistol pointed at his head. "I-if you care about his life, don't move! Try anything and I'll shoot!"

The raven-haired teen just stared at the blond who cringed from the furious and intimidating glare. Zoro gritted his teeth in frustration. Not only couldn't he protect himself, but he also became a hostage!

"You," Luffy uttered in a dangerously low voice, "shouldn't threaten my nakama."

Helmeppo now was shivering so heavily, that the pistol was moving everywhere around the swordsman's head. He gasped and slightly composed himself, then noticed his father rising from the ground, lifting his axe above the pirate.

Luffy's knuckles planted itself into Helmeppo's face, breaking his nose and sending him flying into the yard's furthest fence.

Zoro's heart almost stopped as the axe descended. "Luffy..!" In that moment he was sure he'd see the teen cleaved in half. But Luffy swayed to the side at the last possible moment, and the axe came down an inch from his arm and into the ground, creating a deep crack. The boy jumped away from Morgan and sent both arms far behind him, whipping them back forward into Morgan's stomach. The man flew through the yard, its surrounding wall, and into the navy building.

Luffy grinned. He ignored the rest of the conscious marines shouting and yelling as none of them made a move against him again. The enemies were down, Zoro was alive, all that was left for him was to finally hear his answer. He grabbed the straw hat and put it on his head.

"Shishishishi. So," he looked at the swordsman, wide grin still across his face, "will you join me?"

Zoro frowned. The teen seemed unfazed by the near death fight. Was that not luck? Maybe he was even more capable than that? But Roronoa Zoro wasn't a man to pledge his loyalty to just anyone so quickly, even to save his life. He still wanted to make sure he was worth it. "What would you do if I say no?"

The swordsman didn't expect for Luffy's smile to falter so fast. He certainly didn't expect for the teen to pick up his white katana and unsheathe it.

Luffy stomped to Zoro without saying a word, eyes hidden under the shadow of his straw hat. Zoro winced when the blade slashed the ropes, binding one of his arms. He looked at the pirate confused, but Luffy just thrust the katana into his now free hand, turned around and walked away.

"Wait!" exclaimed Zoro, before cutting himself free from the wooden cross.

Luffy stopped. Zoro felt a pang of guilt now, because the kid's back seemed so small and lonely.

"I have a dream," the pirate hunter declared. Luffy turned around to face him. Zoro raised his white katana and pointed it at him. "I'm going to become the world's greatest swordsman! I don't care if I'll be known as a pirate, as long as my name is acknowledged worldwide. If you do something to interfere with my goal, my blades will take your life!"

That was the last test. Many laughed at his dream, many thought he was crazy. Even most of those who lost to him mocked his ambition to reach the very top. Zoro realized that at this moment he looked nothing like a great swordsman, but if this kid started laughing…

Luffy's whole demeanor suddenly changed as he cocked his head to peer at Zoro. A smile spread across his face, but it wasn't mocking the man in front of him. It felt more like a challenge.

"That's an admirable dream. If you can't even accomplish something that small, you don't deserve to be a crewmember of the Pirate King!"

Zoro had to suppress a shiver of excitement as he was stared down. It was mind-boggling how someone a head shorter than him could make him feel inferior.

Zoro flashed a predatory smirk. So this is what his captain would look like.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Purpose of the Dagger


	6. The Purpose of the Dagger

Zoro flashed a predatory smirk. So this is what his captain would look like.

Now that all the adrenaline had boiled from his system, Zoro was suddenly assaulted by the full force of exhaustion. He staggered, but managed to plunge his katana into the ground and lean on it. "Ahhh, I'm so hungry…"

Luffy laughed softly while picking up the other two swords. "Come on, Zoro, I had them prepare some food and a bath for you."

The swordsman blinked at him. "Really?" He narrowed his eyes. "What would you have done if I'd actually refused your invitation?"

"Nothing," Luffy answered honestly. He stepped alongside Zoro and motioned him to lean on him. "I helped you escape, didn't I?"

Zoro sheathed his katana, strapped all three of them to his waist, and leaned on Luffy with a tired sigh. He was way too exhausted to walk on his own. And going by the boy's satisfied grin, he was more than happy to help.

"Why did you use my sword to cut the ropes anyway?" asked Zoro, as they left the execution yard and started slowly walking through the streets. "You have a dagger."

He felt Luffy tense slightly under his arm. That was strange. He observed his new captain with a curious sideways glance.

The boy had a contemplative expression, until he sighed and closed his eyes. "This dagger has only one purpose, and it's not to cut ropes. Sorry, Zoro."

Before the swordsman could ask anything else, they spotted Coby and Rika waiting patiently for them outside the restaurant, waving.

* * *

Luffy was right to insist about taking a bath first, because Zoro felt alive for the first time in two weeks. The owner of the restaurant, Rika's mother Ririka, even provided him with a set of clean clothes. For saving her daughter, she said.

The swordsman was grinning contently as he climbed down the stairs to the ground floor. His captain was laughing merrily, while Coby stared at him horrified.

"And that's why we are going there!" Luffy cheered, fist-pumping the air.

"Going where?" inquired Zoro. He glanced over the completely empty restaurant. There was only him, Luffy, the pink-haired kid, Rika, and her mother.

"To the Grand Line, of course!"

"Stop joking, Luffy-san! You can't go to the Grand Line with just the two of you!"

"I can't become the Pirate King, and Zoro can't become the world's greatest swordsman, if we stay in the East Blue, Coby." Luffy deadpanned.

Zoro joined them at the table and just shrugged. "Sounds like a plan." He accepted a big plate of food from Rika who beamed at them.

"Big brothers are so strong and brave!" she chirped.

"Shishishishi!"

The pinkette heaved a sigh of defeat. There was no way these two demons would ever listen to him.

"By the way," muttered Zoro, between bites, "why is it so empty here?"

Coby cringed, and Luffy frowned. The swordsman raised an eyebrow at that.

"Luffy-san kicked everyone out," Ririka told him, a nervous smile on her face.

"They were annoying," the Luffy's frown deepened. "Bursting in here and shouting 'hero, hero'. I'm a pirate, not a hero! Besides, I wanted to eat in peace." He smirked at his nakama, "I bet Zoro agrees with me."

The green-haired pirate just nodded. Now that he'd started to eat, there was no time for him to speak, but he was truly glad that there were no spectators watching over his shoulder.

"You saved this town from Axe-hand Morgan," the woman noted. "People are just happy."

"Yeah, well, I didn't plan to do that, so I don't need any thanks."

Ririka still wanted to say something more, but suddenly doors opened. Several marines entered and lined up in front of the pirate's table.

One of them stepped forward. "Excuse us," he said and respectfully touched his hat as greetings. "Is it true that you are pirates?"

Luffy watched him for a couple moments, an unreadable expression on his face, causing the marines to uncomfortably shift in their stances. "That's right," he finally answered.

Zoro licked his lips and patted his stomach. At last his hunger was appeased.

"We wanted to express our gratitude for what you did for us and this town, but since you're pirates we cannot allow you–"

The straw hatted pirate slammed his fist on the table, making all the plates rattle loudly. Everyone flinched, except Zoro, who just curiously observed his captain.

"You bastards arrested and tortured an innocent man," Luffy pointed at Zoro, "harmed the civilians," he pointed at Rika and her mother, "destroyed the dream of my friend," Coby gulped when the finger was shoved in his face, "and even dared to shoot me." The teen covered his eyes with the shadow of the straw hat. "Do you really think I care what you can or cannot allow me to do?"

There were many things left unsaid. The marines' heads dropped in shame. They knew all about the unjust deeds of this navy base under the rule of Captain Morgan, and this young pirate cruelly rubbed it all into their faces.

Luffy glared at them. "We're not leaving until Zoro gets enough rest."

The marines looked like beaten puppies. The swordsman sighed. He didn't know why his new captain was so hostile, but he certainly didn't harbor a grudge against them despite almost being executed. "Luffy, I can nap on the boat." He paused. "Do we even have a boat?"

"Of course, we do!" the raven-haired teen huffed. "But are you sure, Zoro?"

"The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll get to the Grand Line." He smirked. "Right, Captain?"

The usual, impossibly-sized grin bloomed on Luffy's face. "Yeah!" he cheered. "Oba-chan, can we get food for our journey?"

Ririka smiled. "I'll prepare it immediately."

Coby was amazed. Luffy was swinging on the chair now with that sunny grin of his, probably dreaming about future adventures, the fury completely gone. Zoro caught up on how to handle him so fast! He wondered if the man himself realized that.

Ririka came back with a bag of food, and thanked the pirates again for saving her daughter and the town. The boys just smiled and walked towards the exit.

"Oh!" Luffy stopped next to the marine who spoke to him. "I just remembered." He fished out a crumpled up letter from his pocket and gave it to the marine. "Read it and let him join the Navy," he pointed at Coby.

The man looked at the letter. There was a Navy HQ stamp on it. Curious about why the pirate had a letter from Marineford, he unfolded it, and started to read. The color slowly drained from his face, leaving him white. He glanced at the pirate, who just grinned, then at Coby, and then again at the letter. His face blanched even more.

"YOU!" he screeched at Coby, causing him to jump in fright. "I don't care what you want, but you will join the Navy! You start right now! Do you understand?!"

"A-aye! …huh?"

The marine glanced at Luffy again, but he simply chuckled, and together with his companion, left the dumbstruck restaurant.

When they were out of earshot, Zoro couldn't help but ask, "What was that letter?"

"Something my grandpa gave me. He said to use it if I ever ran into trouble with marines in the East Blue. That worked perfectly!"

"Your grandfather? Is he a marine?"

Luffy nodded.

Zoro looked at him, surprised. "And he's not against you becoming a pirate?"

"He was at first," the teen touched the left side of his neck, "but a lot has happened. Grandpa understands now. He still tries to make me change my mind, though."

"Clearly that's not working."

"Shishishishi."

* * *

_Luffy tried to squeeze through the people. There were so many of them! He didn't remember encountering such a big crowd in the Goa kingdom before._

_The slash wound across his temple and eyebrow were burning painfully. His whole body was sore, his limbs felt like they were filled with damp sand. Luffy clutched his treasured straw hat against his chest more tightly and pushed forward determined._

_He had to find Sabo. He roughly knew where his blond brother was, so Luffy reasoned that with his help, they'll definitely be able to find Ace. For that, he managed to sneak into the town and was slowly making his way towards the place where all the nice houses were with the hope of bumping into Sabo._

_With a final shove, the black-haired boy squeezed through the crowd, suddenly stumbling into an empty path and falling down. The straw hat rolled on the ground away from him. Luffy reached for it._

_A gunshot echoed amid the noise of the crowd._

_The bullet sank into his side, and his small body slightly slid backwards from the force. And then it bounced off. Luffy groaned. He wasn't hurt, just startled. He pushed himself up, shook his head, and reached for the hat again._

_One more gunshot rang sharply._

_This time the projectile hit his throat, throwing the child rolling on the ground, before bouncing off again. Luffy coughed painfully, tore open his eyes, and looked up._

_He saw the face twisted in disgust directed at him. The stranger was in a thick, white suit, sitting on a chair. The chair was strapped onto the back of a bloodied and sweaty man on all fours, allowing the stranger to stare down scornfully through a strange transparent helmet. Whispy smoke rose from the rifle, still pointed at Luffy._

" _What is that?" the man spoke in a cold, callous voice._

" _I believe this child ate a Devil Fruit, Saint Jalmack," answered a second man, wearing a black suit._

" _Hmph."_

_He pulled the trigger one more time. Luffy was thrown even further back by the impact._

" _S-stop that!" he shouted._

" _Again, a filthy commoner has the nerve to cross my path, and this one even yells at me! This place is the worst," complained the World Noble. "Take that filth. Maybe he'll be a worthwhile souvenir to make my brother happy."_

" _I'm sure Saint Kenjord will be delighted, Sir," agreed the man in black. "His collection of Devil Fruit slaves are known all over Mariejois."_

_Luffy finally managed to stand up, eyes locked onto his straw hat. Rough hands grabbed him without any warning and tossed him over someone's shoulder. The boy squirmed against his kidnapper._

" _Let me go! Where are you taking me?! No! My hat!" Luffy vainly reached for his treasured item again, but it was so far away, peacefully lying on the ground. Suddenly someone stomped on it before his very eyes. Tears rolled down the boy's cheeks._

" _Ace! Sabo!" Luffy cried desperately, while still reaching for his beloved straw hat, slowly disappearing from his line of sight. "HELP ME!"_

* * *

Luffy jerked from his sleep, his whole body trembling from his rapid breathing.

A hand landed on his shoulder.

The teen instantly smacked it away. "Don't touch me!" he demanded, scrambling away until he hit the side of the boat. Pain and terror gripped his features as he looked wildly around without actually seeing anything. His eyes fell on the straw hat. Luffy reached for it hesitantly. When he felt the familiar texture on his fingertips, he snatched it up immediately and pressed it against his chest. After a moment, he finally calmed down.

Just a dream.

The dinghy faintly swayed from the almost non-existent waves. It was a warm, silent night. A dark dome stretched above the ocean, decorated with a myriad of stars.

Luffy lifted his head. Zoro was squatting in front of him, one hand still lifted in the air, and staring at him with confusion written all over his face.

"Zoro," he said quietly, "did I wake you up?"

The swordsman raised his eyebrow. "You were screaming for help," he stated, suddenly feeling rather irritated. Was this kid serious?

Luffy winced, and hugged his hat even harder. "Sorry," he whispered. "Bad dream."

Luffy hated the feeling of vulnerability that choked him every time he woke from an extremely vivid nightmare. He'd thought that he could hold these kinds of night terrors at bay, but the last island had triggered way too many dark memories for him.

"Whatever," Zoro muttered and lay down to sleep again.

Luffy's scream for help echoed in swordsman's ears. The wild fear in those obsidian eyes got stuck in his mind. Bad dreams wouldn't do that to a person. Something must have happened to him.

Zoro peeked at his captain with one eye. The kid was still clutching his straw hat and staring off somewhere in the distance.

As if feeling his gaze, Luffy stirred, put his hat back on, and leapt onto the bowsprit.

* * *

Zoro yawned, and sat up, lazily scratching the back of his head. The first thing he noticed was the still figure of his captain sitting on the dinghy's bowsprit. It didn't seem like he'd moved during the night. The swordsman looked at the sun. It was probably only a couple hours after sunrise.

"Morning, Zoro."

The green-haired man glanced at his companion. Luffy still was sitting on the same spot, but was now facing him. And he was smiling.

"Yo."

"I forgot to tell you about my Devil Fruit yesterday," the hatted teen said. "I didn't want any enemies to hear about it."

The swordsman's eyes slightly widened. That's right. This kid had survived a barrage of bullets and walked away completely unharmed.

"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit and became a rubber man," explained Luffy as he hooked a finger around the edge of his mouth and stretched it. After he released it, the skin snapped back. The teen snickered at the wide eyes of his nakama. "So, I'll be counting on you if I ever fall into the sea."

"Why? You can't swim?" asked Zoro, totally baffled.

"None of the Devil Fruit users can swim. It takes a lot of strength to move even a finger in the water."

The swordsman scratched his head absent-mindedly. "Fine." He felt so sleepy. Exhaustion still clung to his body after the ordeal with the marines. "Just don't fall too often."

Luffy giggled. "I'll try!"

Zoro thought for a moment. "You also didn't tell me the purpose of your dagger," he reminded.

The teen froze, his smile fell. Slowly he lowered his head so that the rim of the straw hat would hide his eyes.

Zoro pushed. "Is it to kill someone?"

"Yeah," Luffy replied in a hushed tone. "Myself."

Zoro's mind went blank. "…What?"

Luffy bit his lip. "If I ever feel my freedom threatened…" his voice cracked, and he took a shaky breath. "I'd rather kill myself than lose it again."

Zoro felt a headache building up. His new captain was not only an exuberant teenager inclined to act without thinking about the consequences, not only did he have a serious problem with nightmares, but apparently also had suicidal tendencies.

Wait. Did he just say 'again'?

"But don't worry, Zoro," as if reading his thoughts, Luffy reassured, "It's not like I want to die. I just started my journey to become the Pirate King, the freest person in the world!" His lips split into a sunny grin. "And I finally found my first nakama!"

The swordsman stared at him. There was a hopeful glint in the teen's eyes. He sighed, "Right." The kid was capable, and Zoro was curious about him. The feeling of superiority he got from him at that time in the execution yard was still fresh in his mind. Zoro was confident that it wasn't a fluke. He trusted his instincts.

"You should nap some more, Zoro," Luffy suggested. "I'll wake you up if I see an island. I wonder how long it'll take us to reach it… Well, I'm sure we will. Someday," he laughed mirthfully.

"Never heard of a pirate who can't navigate," the swordsman pointed out. "How are we supposed to reach the Grand Line at this rate?"

"Eh, it will work out somehow," the captain brushed it off. "How come you can't navigate either? Aren't you the pirate hunter of the seas?"

Zoro scowled. "I never called myself that. I went out to sea looking for one man, but couldn't find my way back and had to start hunting pirates to make a living."

"Oh, so you're lost?"

"I'm not lost! My island just… moved," Zoro protested, causing his companion to burst into laughter. "Anyway, we should find a navigator if we don't want to drift in the sea forever."

"Agreed!" cheered the teen. "We also need a cook, a musician, and a fluffy one!"

Zoro blinked. "Flu… fluffy one?"

"Yeah! Pirates can't be true pirates without a musician, but a true captain of the pirates needs someone fluffy in his crew!"

The swordsman just gawked at his toothy grin. Suddenly he shook his head and groaned, "I don't even want to know." He lay down. "Going to take the offer and nap."

Luffy jumped down. Zoro cracked open one eye to glance at him.

"Shishishishi. Here," the teen took his straw hat and placed it on his nakama's head, "it will protect you from the sun."

Zoro slid the hat down over his eyes. "Thanks," he muttered.

Luffy returned to his previous spot on the bowsprit, grinning happily.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Girl with the Darkness Within


	7. The Girl with the Darkness Within

"So boring…" whined Luffy, sprawled out on the bottom of their small boat, unenthusiastically watching the clouds.

"I wish I had some booze…" seconded Zoro, leaning against the side of the boat with his three swords propped against his shoulder, lazily observing the sky.

The straw hatted teen sat up. With a small frown marring his face, he scanned the horizon around them. A small fleck in the ocean caught his attention. He squinted. "What's that?"

The swordsman followed his captain's line of sight. "Isn't that people in the water?"

Luffy hummed before grinning. "Let's go fish them out. Maybe they know where the next island is."

Zoro just shrugged indifferently.

The three castaways noticed the approaching boat and started yelling and waving their hands. Once it was close enough, they swam to it and climbed inside. Both pirates watched them impassively, not even moving from their sitting positions.

"Ahhh, I thought I was gonna die!" wailed one man with a black cap.

"Yeah, floating in the sea for a day and night is not fun," agreed the brown-haired man.

"Whew… Thank God!" exclaimed the third man with orange, curly hair.

The first one eyed their two savers and then drew his saber. "How lucky of us for you to come save us," he grinned smugly. "We're the crew of Buggy-sama and this is his territory. We're taking over this boat!"

Zoro glared at him. Luffy shoved his pinky into his nose, suddenly lifted a leg and kicked the man across the dinghy. The poor bastard smashed into the bowsprit, flipped over it, and splashed back into the water. The teen flicked a booger after him.

The brown and orange haired men just gawked at the boy. Their brains were trying to comprehend the fact that his leg had just stretched.

Luffy prepared to kick out the two others, but Zoro stopped him.

"Wait, I have an idea." The swordsman stood up and cracked his knuckles, at the same time showing them a devilish smile. "My captain and I have been drifting around for several days now. Would you be so kind as to bring us to the nearest island?"

* * *

Nami knew she was in trouble. As her foot suddenly twisted painfully in her mad rush through the empty town, and she fell down to the ground grazing her knees and elbows, she realized that 'trouble' was an understatement. She was in deep shit.

Just yesterday everything was going so smoothly. She tricked some wannabes pirates and sailed off with their boat and their treasure. After that, she successfully stole the map to the Grand Line from Buggy and almost got away with it. Almost.

There was no distraction that Nami could have used to shake her pursuers, so she was left with only one option – to give the map back. Her life was far more important than a map, which she could easily steal back again. So the thief threw it to the pirates who tried to catch her, and while they were busy with that, she fled.

Unfortunately, Buggy sent his lackeys to guard every exit from the town as soon as he got his map back. There was no escape and no mercy for the thief.

She really should have left this ghost town right after her successful escape. Why she decided to stick around for longer, she had no clue. Nami was aware that greed someday may be her demise. She just hoped that it would happen after she freed Cocoyasi Village, together with Nojiko, Gen-san and other people who were dear to her.

The thief was able to hide through the night without being spotted. She even had a plan on how to escape, but at the last moment that stupid lion and his owner had to notice her.

And now Nami was going to die before fulfilling her dream, and finally freeing herself from the clutches of that despicable Fishman.

Nami tried to catch her breath after the fall. Her whole body ached, her ankle was burning with a sharp pain. The loud growling from behind made her flinch. The thief whipped her head to look at her assailant. The enormous lion was slowly walking towards its lying prey. The man on his back, Buggy's first mate Mohji, was smirking smugly.

The beast tensed up to pounce…

A loud and carefree laughter suddenly rang from one of the alleys, drawing the attention of everyone, before two strangers casually strolled into view.

A black-haired teenage boy with a straw hat was wearing the biggest, sunniest grin across his face as he excitedly motioned his hands around his head. "–of bees. My face became thiiiiiiis wide!"

The green-haired man with three swords strapped to his waist laughed from his companion's story, and was the first to notice the people in the street they'd just stepped on. He surveyed the scene. His eyes lingered a bit longer on the girl, then flickering to the lion and finally to his rider.

The hatted teen pointed a finger at the lion and beamed at his nakama. "Let's eat that!" he proposed.

Zoro eyed the beast skeptically. "Is it even edible?"

Luffy hummed. "My home island only had tigers, but I bet lion tastes as good as them," he licked his lips. "Meat is meat! It always tastes good!"

"Really?" the swordsman doubted.

The lion growled angrily.

"The heck are you two talking about?! Richie is not food!" The man on its back shouted in outrage. After a moment he composed himself and flashed a cocky smirk at the two strangers. "I'm Buggy's pirate crewmember, the Beast Tamer Mohji, and this is my pet, Richie the lion."

Nami tried to stand up, but just moaned as the pain surged through her ankle. Her mind was working a mile a minute assessing the situation. The green-haired guy with three swords looked like the pirate hunter everybody had been talking about lately. His friend was probably also a bounty hunter, even if he seemed a bit too young for the job. If she played her cards right, they would definitely help a poor girl in trouble.

Desperately grabbing for this chance, Nami cried out, "Boss, you came! I thought I was a goner!"

Zoro regarded her with a bored and uninterested expression. Luffy just tilted his head to one side, puzzled.

"You know her, Luffy?"

"Nope."

Mohji jumped down from his mount and folded his arms in front of his chest to show his absolute confidence. "Ohhh, so you're her boss, Green-head," he said, completely dismissing the short kid with the straw hat. "Your little thief really infuriated my captain. How about making amends for what she did?"

"Why would I do that? I don't even know her."

The beast tamer snorted. "Don't try to shirk your responsibilities. What kind of boss are you?" He stepped in front of both strangers, his lion towering over him in a threatening manner.

Zoro gritted his teeth in annoyance, but before he could retort, Luffy chimed in, "That's the weirdest fur cap I've ever seen!" He stared at the man's hair which had two small furry ears.

"You idiot, watch what you're saying! THIS IS MY HAIR!" screeched Mohji. "Your hat is what is weird here! Who could wear such an old, battered thing?"

Mohji smirked and lifted his hand to swat the straw hat from Luffy's head. The teen's face darkened. His fingers curled around Mohji's wrist with great strength. "Don't touch my hat," he warned. His eyes didn't hold any mercy as he tightened his grip and snapped the wrist like a twig.

Zoro slightly cringed and stepped back when he heard the bones cracking and the agonized scream from the beast tamer. Luffy was able to be ruthless when he wanted to. No one could have expected such cold-bloodedness from a scrawny kid who was usually only smiles and sunshine.

Nami suddenly felt shivers running through her body as she watched the straw hatted boy. Her self-preservation instincts kicked in, screaming at her to flee.

Mohji's wail abruptly stopped as Luffy pulled him closer and send him flying with a powerful kick. The man crashed into his pet lion, and flung them both across the street and into the house, destroying it in the process.

Nami flattened herself against the ground with a scared yelp as the beast's huge body flew past her.

Growling, the lion pushed debris off of itself and stood up with a loud roar. It glared at the hatted human who stepped a bit closer. Luffy suddenly shot both hands towards the animal while twisting them together, gripped it by its mane, and pulled it to himself as he unwound his arms, causing the great beast to soar through the air, spinning rapidly. The pirate smashed it head first into the concrete, which cracked under the impact.

Nami panicked. He was certainly not a normal kid! He was dangerous! Probably more dangerous than Buggy! Maybe even more dangerous than Arl–

The thief shook her head, trying to dispel that line of thought. She bit her lip. The kid was strong, but no human was stronger than a Fishman.

The straw hat slipped from Luffy's head and landed near Zoro. The swordsman picked it up.

"Jerks," muttered the black-haired boy, "trying to touch my hat."

Zoro froze with that specific hat in his hand. His eyes widened when he realized that it was him who was now touching it.

"I don't even want to eat you anymore!" still in a miffed mood, Luffy announced to the unconscious or maybe even dead lion.

The swordsman gulped nervously. Well, Luffy himself gave the straw hat to him just yesterday morning. It's not like he'd react to his nakama touching it in the same hostile way, right?

Luffy turned around and looked at his beloved hat being held by Zoro.

_RIGHT?!_

A huge grin broke across the teen's face. "Thanks, Zoro!" he happily exclaimed, quickly walking over to him and taking it.

The green-haired pirate let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. His new captain was such a troublesome person.

"Thanks for the help, guys," said Nami, cautiously. She knew nothing about these two. They were dangerous, especially the hot-headed raven boy. What kind of monster could stretch his limbs? Who in his right mind would beat up another person just because he tried to touch his hat? Not that Nami was ungrateful of what he did, but it unnerved her. She needed to tread carefully. "My name's Nami."

"I'm Luffy," smiled the boy, placing his straw hat back on his head.

"Zoro," grunted his companion. "Are you hurt?"

Nami sat up. At least they were civil, in a way. She flinched as she tried to move her leg. "My foot…"

The swordsman approached her, and squatted down to examine it. Luffy stopped right behind him and curiously observed what he was doing.

"You sprained your ankle. Nothing serious, you need to wrap it up tightly and give it a rest," concluded Zoro. He frowned when he saw the disbelieving face of the girl. "I lived in a dojo my entire childhood, this kind of injury was common there," he explained.

"Oh." Nami was surprised by that, but then she decided to ask what was bothering her. "You're Roronoa Zoro, the pirate hunter, right? Do you plan on claiming Buggy's bounty?"

The green-haired man smirked. "I quit the bounty hunting business when my captain here invited me into his crew."

"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled. "We're pirates!"

The thief felt dread settle in. Pirates! She just jumped from one pirate group to another! What's with all the pirate scum in her life? Couldn't she meet someone who was NOT a freaking murderer?!

Both boys noticed a sudden tension in the girl's shoulders as she lowered her head and her face darkened. They shared a glance, but didn't comment.

"Go away," growled Nami through clenched teeth. "I don't need any help from people like you. I HATE PIRATES!" But then she gasped, realizing what she'd just said to these monsters.

Luffy smiled at her. "That's alright. We don't hate you, though." He glanced around the empty street. After they docked on the island, they hadn't see any other people, only some idiots, babbling about Buggy this, Buggy that, and attacking them without any reason. "Do you live nearby? We can lead you home," he suggested.

"No, I don't live here at all."

"What's up with this ghost town, anyway?" Zoro asked.

"Everyone ran away and is hiding from Buggy's pirate crew outside of the town," Nami reluctantly explained. She wished her foot would heal, so she could run away. But the thief was cornered, so she had no other choice but to play along for the time being.

Luffy hummed in though. "So it means all the houses are empty?" he asked no one in particular. He strolled to the nearest house, stopped in front of the door and tried to open it. The house was locked. "Excuse me, coming through!" the hatted teen announced loudly and kicked the door with all his strength.

The door was torn from hinges and crashed somewhere inside. Zoro facepalmed, and Nami's jaw dropped, as they watched the pirate enter the house without any qualms.

After a moment, Luffy popped in the doorway again. "Come on, Zoro, grab the girl and bring her in here. I'll search for some bandages and food."

"Aye, captain," Zoro grumbled.

* * *

Nami examined the tightly bandaged foot one more time, before leaning comfortably against the cozy couch. Zoro really knew how to take care of a sprained ankle, there was only a weak numb feeling instead of pain. Although he was still an ill-behaved Neanderthal! How dared he handle her like a sack of potatoes!

Nami shot an aggrieved glare towards the man who was lounging on an armchair across the living room. With a content smirk, the swordsman was slowly sipping from a bottle of rum. The thief sighed. The pirates! She really couldn't expect any manners from such people, especially that black-haired kid. Nami glanced at him.

Luffy was sitting in a cross-legged position on the bar separating living room and kitchen, leisurely chewing on his sandwich while staring at her. He'd been staring at her for a while now. Maybe he'd fallen for her? Or he was thinking of selling her? Or maybe even something worse…

"What's with the staring?!" the thief screamed in frustration, not able to stand it anymore.

Luffy stopped chewing and frowned. Nami tensed. Did she just go a bit too far? Zoro eyed her with disinterest as he took a gulp from the bottle.

"If you don't live in this town, what are you doing here?" asked the hatted teen.

"I came to steal a map from Buggy," confessed the thief with a sigh. "But his men caught me, and I had to give up on it to make my escape. I've been hiding since then."

"Steal a map? What kind of map would you risk your life over?" the swordsman wondered.

"Don't underestimate me! I'm a thief who steals from pirates!" Nami huffed. "That map is a path to the Grand Line. I'm planning to go there to steal from even greater pirates who have much more treasure!"

The orange-haired girl held her head high as she peered at the pirates, daring them to judge her because of her profession. But neither seemed to care about such trivial things. Zoro shrugged absent-mindedly and went back to enjoying his drink, and Luffy did the same with his sandwich. Nami was again surprised by how easygoing these two were.

"Do you know how to navigate?" inquired Luffy, giving her his attention once more.

"Of course!" the thief smirked proudly. "I'm the best navigator there is."

The wide smile grew on the straw hatted captain. "Join my crew!" he exclaimed.

A stern scowl found its way to Nami's face. "No way! I already told you that I hate pirates! I only like money and mikan!" She crossed her arms and turned her head to the side, ending the conversation.

Nami was furious. The nerve of this pirate! To invite her into his crew when she clearly declared herself a thief who steals from pirates.

Although…

Nami peeked at the young captain with a sideways glance. She was sure they had nothing valuable to steal, but they were both strong, and didn't seem to be very smart. She could definitely use brutes like that in the Grand Line. She had dealt with Arlong and the rest of his non-human crew for so many years, she could handle a couple more pirates. It shouldn't be extremely hard. The longer Nami mused, the more she liked the idea.

"I would consider making an alliance," she proposed at last with a sly smile, "with one condition."

An awkward silence settled in the room. Luffy once again was staring at Nami, not hearing or ignoring her offer. She fidgeted nervously.

Zoro glanced at his captain, and as he said nothing, he put forward a question, "You said you hated pirates. Why suddenly change your mind?"

"I didn't change my mind, but I can restrain my sentiments for a good business deal."

The swordsman paused with the bottle near his mouth. "Business deal, huh?" He took a gulp. "Well, it's up for the captain to decide."

Luffy just stared.

He couldn't pinpoint what exactly caught his attention in Nami's presence, taking a good look at her. Her emotions and feelings were heavily guarded, spiking only when she talked about treasure or her hate for pirates. But something was there. Something dark, heavy and thick locked under the tightest lock, shoved so deep inside her that Luffy couldn't help but take interest. It felt way too familiar to the darkness of his memories from _that_ time. If there was a chance to help her, he wanted to do that.

The straw hatted teen smiled. "Alright," he said simply, sliding down from the bar and walking over to the orange-haired girl. "Let's make an alliance. That sounds like fun!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. Trust his child captain to make a decision based on if it's fun or not.

"We'll divide all the treasure we collect in half. I take one half and the rest of you the other," Nami set forth her conditions and smirked slyly. "Accept that, or I won't shake hands."

Luffy shook his head. "No."

"What?! Why not? It's a great deal!" the thief flailed her arms. "Fine! I'll take forty percent and you take the rest."

"Nope."

Nami clenched her teeth. "You're killing me…! Okay, we can share the treasure in equal parts between us three." She smiled confidently. That was definitely a very tempting offer. No pirate could pass it up.

Her smile faltered, when Luffy frowned again. "I don't really care about the treasure that much," he stated bluntly, glancing to his green-haired nakama over the shoulder and asking, "You, Zoro?"

The swordsman shrugged. "Not really."

"See?" the teen grinned at Nami. "You can have all the treasure, just pay for our food."

"And booze," chimed in Zoro.

"And booze," Luffy echoed.

The orange-haired thief regarded them both with suspicion. That was way too good to be true. She narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

The straw hatted pirate blinked. He scratched his head trying to figure out the catch. "I can eat a lot," he confessed, not sure if it would be enough to persuade his navigator.

"I can drink a lot," added Zoro.

Nami arched her eyebrow. The green Neanderthal seemed like he could hold his liquor, but that wouldn't be such a great loss considering their strength and opportunities to collect tons of loot. The boy with the straw hat was really scrawny, so Nami completely dismissed the possibility that he could eat more than her.

Strengthening her resolve, the thief grinned. "Deal!"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Protecting the Captain's Back


	8. Protecting the Captain's Back

**Warnings:** this chapter contains Buggy. Urgh.

* * *

"Luffy, are you coming?" called Nami.

"Yeah!" Luffy patted the dog sitting in front of the pet food shop one last time and grinned. The small, white beast had woofed at him, happily wagging its tail. "You be careful too! Bye, doggie!" Luffy waved and ran over to his two waiting companions.

The orange-haired girl met him with a scowl on her face. "You remember our plan, don't you?"

"Of course, Nami, don't worry," the teen reassured her. "Zoro and I will kick Buggy's and his crew's asses, while you go and steal the map to the Grand Line and his treasure."

All three started to walk. Nami was still slightly limping, but she swore to the others that she could sustain the weak pain in her sprained ankle until their business here was concluded.

"You better not underestimate Buggy. He's a pirate with one of the highest bounties in the East Blue!"

Luffy tilted his head, closed his eyes and brought a hand to his chin, like he was seriously assessing something. After a moment, his eyes opened, and he shook his head before grinning. "Nah, these pirates aren't strong enough to take us!"

"How do you know if you've never met them?!" demanded Nami in exasperation.

"You sound very sure of that," Zoro agreed. He didn't doubt that they could take these people, but Luffy's absolute confidence in what he said piqued his interest.

"Shishishishi, it's a mystery power!" the captain laughed, causing Nami to facepalm and Zoro to groan. "Although," he continued in a serious tone, "those three morons from the sea said that Buggy is a Devil Fruit user. First, we need to learn which fruit he has."

"A Devil Fruit? I thought they were only a myth," said the thief.

"Nope," Luffy denied. He hooked a finger around the edge of his mouth and stretched it.

Nami's eyes widened and she took a step away from him, making him laugh mirthfully.

"I ate the Gum-Gum fruit and became a rubber man," explained the straw hatted pirate. "There are a great variety of fruits. Some are rather funny. One time I met a guy with–" he cut himself off. A painful expression flashed across his features for a split second, and he unconsciously touched the left side of his neck.

The thief was too immersed pondering Devil Fruits and monsters, but the swordsman's sharp eyes caught it. A subtle frown found its way onto his face.

"Anyway," with a small, strained smile, Luffy continued, "some fruits may be very dangerous. Until we know which one Buggy has we should be careful."

"Roger that," muttered Zoro, before looking around. "Are we going in the right direction?"

"Yeah!" the captain confirmed firmly.

"How do you know?" Nami doubted.

Luffy's lips curled into a mischievous smirk. "Mystery power!" he yelled in delight.

This time Nami groaned. Zoro just sighed, and Luffy burst into laughter.

* * *

Whatever mystery power Luffy possessed, Zoro had to admit that first, it was actually real, and second, it was extremely useful. Just around the corner, the captain had suggested to Nami to split up because of the trouble ahead. And just like that they were ready for Buggy's crew's ambush when they stepped into the town square.

A man with a coat over his shoulders, a cap with the Jolly Roger symbol, and a very conspicuous red, round nose scornfully looked them over. "So, you're the flashy bastards who attacked and beat up Mohji?"

"So, you're Booger?" innocently retorted Luffy, at the same time picking his nose.

Zoro had to suppress a snicker.

Buggy clenched his teeth in anger. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING BOOGER?!" he screeched then cocked his head arrogantly. "I'm the great pirate, Captain Buggy-sama!"

"Bogey?" Luffy mockingly tilted his head to the side.

This time Zoro couldn't hold in the laughter. The clown in front of them turned the color of his nose.

"You'll regret insulting me like that, Straw Hat," he said in a dangerously low voice, causing the black-haired boy to grin widely. "Why are all straw hatted brats so flashily cheeky?" Buggy murmured under his nose. He motioned to his men and screamed, "ATTACK!"

Roaring war cries, a bunch of circus pirates jumped onto their two opponents. The green-haired swordsman unsheathed two of his katanas and started cutting through the crowd. The hatted teen was laughing merrily while weaving around all the hits, punches and slashes from his enemies, at the same time successfully counterattacking and taking down them in groups.

Zoro lazily fended off a clumsy attack from one of the few pirates still standing and slashed him across the chest. Again, Luffy was right. These guys were nowhere a challenge for either of them.

"So," a smug voice sounded near him, and swordsman spun around to face Buggy, "you two are bounty hunters? Pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, did you come here for my head?"

"Not interested. Besides, we're not bounty hunters," Zoro smirked. "We're pirates!"

"Pirates, you say?" laughed the clown, pulling out several knives and spinning one of them between his fingers. "It doesn't matter, because I'm interested. If I kill you spectacularly, my name will become more famous!"

Without diverting his eyes from Buggy, Zoro took his black bandana from the left bicep and tied it around his head. He unsheathed the white katana and put it into his mouth before grabbing the other two and shifting into fighting position.

"Come and get me," the green-haired pirate taunted his opponent.

The clown chuckled and dashed towards the three-sword user. "Show me your true skills, or you'll soon be covered in blood!"

Zoro took one step forward, preparing his blades, and when Buggy was right in front of him, he swung all three of them simultaneously. The feeling of cutting through the flesh washed over swordsman's body, and he shot a short glance over his shoulder to the defeated clown. He started to slide swords back into their sheaths.

But something was amiss. Buggy clearly was dead, nobody could survive having his torso cut in two, but Zoro's instincts told him otherwise. _"Anyway, some fruits may be very dangerous. Until we know which one Buggy has we should be careful."_ Luffy's words rang in his mind, and it suddenly clicked. Swordsman looked back again, just in time to see a separate hand with knife moving through the air towards him. His eyes widened. It was too late to dodge!

An unexpected pull by his shirt collar threw Zoro to the side. The knife flew an inch from his waist, twisted mid-air, and assaulted swordsman again. He repelled the strikes and jumped away.

"Zoro," his captain's voice beside him startled the green-haired pirate, "time for the clown swap."

"You bastard, Straw Hat," growled Buggy, while reassembling himself, "I almost got him!"

"That was a nasty move, Buffoon, attacking Zoro from behind."

The swordsman glanced at Luffy. The boy was glaring icily at the clown who was completely unharmed by the swords.

So it was Luffy who saved him from the stab. It somewhat hurt Zoro's pride. From the very beginning he wasn't able to show any of his skills to his chosen captain, always having his hide saved by him instead. The swordsman wondered how the kid even decided to recruit him in the first place without seeing what he was capable of. He clenched his teeth. He really needed to get his shit together.

Ignoring Buggy's shouts of outrage from butchering his name again, Luffy gazed at his nakama, slight frown present on his face. In these couple days he got used to Zoro's strong and determined presence, and a sudden wavering shift in it made him worry.

An image of an incoming attack from behind flashed through Luffy's mind. At the same time, Zoro started to move, and the hatted teen knew that he didn't need to dodge this time. As blades clashed behind his back, he smiled.

"This whole circus consists only of cowards," growled Zoro, standing back to back with Luffy, and with one of his katana deflecting a sword hit from a pirate on the unicycle. "I got this, captain."

"Yeah," Luffy nodded, not even glancing behind, showing the absolute trust in his nakama to protect his back, "I'm counting on you, Zoro."

The swordsman smirked.

"That's seems fair, Roronoa Zoro, to fight you as a swordsman," said the acrobatic clown. "My name's Cabaji, Chief of Staff of Buggy's pirate crew."

"Fair? I don't think so." Zoro's pleased smirk changed into a demonic one, his eyes glinting dangerously. "You attacked my captain's back. I'm not in a mood to play games." He crossed his two katanas across his chest with the third one in his mouth horizontally behind them.

Cabaji scowled. "Then I'll finish you with only one strike!" he bellowed enraged and launched himself on the green-haired swordsman with an outstretched sword.

"Oni Giri!"

Zoro's swords cut through his opponent, leaving three deep slashes on his chest. The man fell from his unicycle and onto the ground, blood splattering from his wounds.

The swordsman breathed out and scanned the area. If there were any pirates left, they were all in hiding. He re-sheathed all three katanas, before tying his bandana back on his arm.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING BABOON!" roared Buggy nearby. "NOW STAY STILL YOU LITTLE SHIT SO THAT I CAN HIT YOU!"

Zoro turned around to watch the fight between the captains. Luffy was grinning, openly enjoying teasing his enemy by giving him different names. Buggy was so red from fury that even his nose paled before the color of his face.

"No way!" laughed Luffy. "I don't want to be hit!"

He ducked below the flying hand with knives and simultaneously dodged to the side to avoid the kick. The straw hat slipped from his head and floated in the air.

Buggy smirked deviously. "That hat is important to you, isn't it?"

Luffy snatched the straw hat by its rim. His eyes widened as he saw a thrown knife nearing it. He instantly hid the hat behind his back, and at that moment another knife, held by Buggy's de-attached hand, sunk into his shoulder.

"Luffy!" yelled Zoro from the sidelines, worry underlying his voice.

The clown burst into hysterical laughter. "You and your stupid hat! You remind me of that red-haired idiot, who liked to wear a similar thing!" he cackled. "That's what you get for trying to protect such stupid things!"

"This hat is my treasure," Luffy said calmly, while plopping the straw hat back on his head. The blood from the wound slowly ran under his shirt's sleeve and dripped to the ground from his fingers. But he didn't seem to be feeling anything. His face was now emotionless, the previous smile nowhere to be found.

The teen grabbed Buggy's hand which still held the knife and squeezed it. "So, you want to play rough?" he asked, amused by his opponents painful pleas to let go of his limb.

An evil smile slipped on the hatted youth's lips. He smashed the hand on the concrete and stomped on it with all his might. Luffy grinded it for a good measure without any mercy or sympathy after the clown started to scream from pain.

Zoro cringed from the sight. He still couldn't get used to the drastic personality changes, and it was all because of that straw hat. The swordsman scratched his head as he remembered yesterday morning. Luffy gave it to him willingly though.

"That's for trying to damage my hat," the black-haired pirate declared. Despite everything his voice was still calm and composed.

Luffy yanked the knife from his shoulder and chucked it at Buggy. Not waiting for him to finish dodging it, he threw both hands backwards and shot them at the clown's stomach. The man didn't even have opportunity to come apart. He flew across the square and crashed into the fountain.

The hatted pirate started to walk over to the fountain. Buggy barely rose from the rubble, coughing and struggling not to go down onto his knees. His second hand with the knife soared through the air towards Luffy's throat. The teen easily sidestepped the attack and kept walking. The hand turned around and chucked the blade. Luffy tilted his head to the side, avoiding the knife, without even looking at it.

Buggy narrowed his eyes. That kind of agility reminded him of Observation Haki. But there was no way that a no-name brat from the weakest Blue had a Haki.

"You better prepare yourself, Straw Hat!" the clown smirked. "Bara Bara Festival!"

Buggy's whole body separated into pieces, floating all over the place. Only his head hovered in one spot, laughing hysterically.

Luffy glanced over all the parts, before stretching his arm and catching the clowns head by his nose.

"Wha…! What are you doing?!" he screeched. "Let go of my nose!"

The future Pirate King grinned. "See ya, Booger!"

A solid fist planted itself into Buggy's mug. It smashed into the house on the other side of the square, with all the other pieces of the clown flying after it.

Luffy waited a few moments before nodding to himself. "Shishishishi, I won!" he cheered.

Zoro stopped near him. He eyed the bloody shirt. "How's your shoulder?"

"Eh?" the teen looked at him with surprise. He glanced at the wound. "It's nothing. I've had much worse many times before."

"You should at least bandage it."

"I guess you're right," Luffy smiled warmly at the swordsman, before turning to the side and yelling, "Nami! How long do you plan to hide there?!"

An orange-haired head popped up from an alley, a nervous smile on the thief's face. "I-I wasn't hiding, or anything," she said quickly. "Just… you know… letting you finish your fight!" Nami dragged a big bag as she crossed the square to reach them.

"I see you found your treasure," Luffy remarked. "Did you get the map?"

The thief smirked. "Who do you think I am, captain?" She pulled out the scroll and showed it to the boy. A happy grin broke across his face, and he lifted his hands to take it. "No touching with bloody hands!" Nami immediately ordered.

"Okay, okay!" Luffy submitted. "I'm going to clean myself up." He promptly strolled to the nearest house and entered it the same way as before – kicking down its doors.

"Do you need help?" wondered Zoro, amused as he watched Nami haul the loot bag with all her strength.

"I can do it myself!" she assured as she stopped for a breath, panting. "Just… Just need to take it to the boat." The thief stared at the house Luffy disappeared in, leaned closer to Zoro and quietly asked, "Is he always so ruthless?"

The swordsman rubbed his neck, thinking it over. "I've known him for only a couple of days, but I would say no," he replied. "It seems he's just overprotective of that straw hat."

"Only for a couple of days?" Nami skeptically raised her eyebrow. "Why would a pirate hunter suddenly turn into a pirate anyway?"

Zoro pondered on his answer to that. There were several reasons. He went against marines, so either way he would had become a criminal. Luffy saved his life. But the most important one was that Zoro deemed someone worthy enough to actually pledge his loyalty to that person. "He saved me from the execution," he finally decided to say.

"Execution? By whom?"

"Some marines that were corrupt to the core," the swordsman smirked. "Luffy took them down."

* * *

Luffy slowly moved his bandaged shoulder. He felt a pain pierce through it, but he didn't flinch. It was nothing compared to what he had survived in the past.

His old bloody shirt was thrown on the floor. Fortunately, the teen found a new red shirt to change into in the house he'd broken in. He was holding it in one hand, ready to put it on. Dark thoughts spun around his head, so Luffy passively stared through the window. He was so lost in it that he didn't hear the door open behind him.

Zoro entered the room with his usual bored expression. His sharp, silver colored eyes instantly fell on the back of his captain, and he stiffened on the spot.

What he saw was an ugly burn mark.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Truth Behind the Mark


	9. Truth Behind the Mark

Zoro entered the room with his usual bored expression. His sharp, silver colored eyes instantly fell on the back of his captain, and he stiffened on the spot.

What he saw was an ugly burn mark.

It didn't appear that Luffy had been burned in some accident as the mark had a distinctive circular shape with the spots above and under it. The swordsman's eyes flickered to several round scars on the boy's non-bandaged shoulder. That didn't look like stab wounds, more like… bullet holes? He scowled. How could Luffy have scars from bullets if they were ineffective against his rubber body? All that together with the nightmares, screams for help, and Luffy's words about losing his freedom meant that his guess that something really bad had happened to the kid in the past was actually true.

Luffy gasped at the sudden feeling of Zoro in the room. He swiveled around to see the green-haired man staring at him. A barrage of thoughts attacked his mind. He saw! Zoro saw the brand! A slight panic gripped Luffy, but he forced himself to calm down.

Luffy preferred to hide his dark past from the whole world, but he was not so naïve to believe that it was truly possible. Not with an unremovable mark on his back. If his nakama would ever want to know about it, he would not lie to them.

The swordsman cleared his throat. The split second of fear on Luffy's face didn't go unnoticed by him, but it wasn't his place to question other people's scars. "I came to see if you needed any help with bandaging your wound," he said.

"I'm fine, but thanks." Luffy put on a new shirt. Apparently Zoro wasn't familiar with what that mark stood for, and he was glad about it. "Where's Nami?"

"She dragged her loot to the boat," Zoro replied. "Are you sure it's a good idea to invite the thief to join us?"

The rubber pirate smiled. "Trust me, Zoro," he requested. "She'll become our nakama in no time."

The swordsman stared at him, before sighing. "Your mystery power again?" he asked, more as a joke, but Luffy giggled blissfully.

"Shishishishi, that's right!"

* * *

**-Previously, somewhere in the New World on the Moby Dick-**

Ace leaned on the railings. He closed his eyes, feeling the last warmth of the sun for the day and enjoying the light breeze, caressing his whole body. The noise and voices from his new brothers and sisters somewhere on the ship behind him gave Ace a pleasing feeling of safety and home. His lips curled up into a serene smile.

"Watcha doin'?" came a playful question from beside him.

Ace opened his eyes, and looked to his right at the grinning pompadour man. "Thatch," he acknowledged, and turned to face the sunset again. "Just indulging in the calmness of this moment."

Thatch raised a questioning eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like you. Are you feeling okay?"

The freckled pirate chuckled and flashed him a satisfied grin. "Never been better!"

"Well, that's more like you!" the redhead laughed and joined Ace by leaning on the railings.

Having his good friend and brother so close to him, Ace's thoughts drifted to his youngest brother, back at Dawn Island. He wondered what Luffy was doing right now. He was too young to leave the island, so he had to stay there all alone. His baby brother must feel so lonely. Did he still have those nightmares? What had caused them in the first place?

Ace suddenly perked up. "Oi, Thatch?"

The pompadour man gave him his full attention, while still relaxing on the railings.

"Do you know anything about a certain burn mark on a person's back? It's… um… a circle with three triangles above and one under."

Thatch hummed thoughtfully. "That does sound like a slave's brand of the Celestial Dragons."

Ace's mind went blank. Coldness washed over his whole body. His fingers dug into the railings, and he had to summon all of his willpower not to tumble down as he felt his legs weaken. "Slave?" he whispered. Ace knew about Celestial Dragons and their inhuman pleasures. Back at Sabaody Archipelago when he was preparing to cross the Red Line, he had seen one briefly from a distance, surrounded by his slaves who were leashed like dogs and crawled on all fours.

"Those bastards do horrible things to their slaves," not noticing his friend's distress, the red-haired pirate continued. "Starving, beating, various tortures, that's just a few things those World Nobles do to them. I heard most slaves who manage to run away can't live normal lives because their bodies are so broken. Some of them go completely crazy. Most can't handle freedom altogether, and decide to take their own life."

Ace's heart was now thumping painfully against his ribcage. The weight in his stomach increased with every word coming from Thatch's mouth. Now he fully understood why Luffy behaved like he did from the moment Ace had found him on that cliff. The heartbreaking plea from his baby brother played again and again in his mind.

"I wouldn't wish for such a fate, not even for my worst enemy," stated Thatch.

"What fate, yoi?" joining the conversation, the 1st division commander walked over to them.

"Becoming a slave for the Celestial Dragons," explained the redhead. "Marco, can you imagine what it feels like to get branded by a hot branding iron? That would hurt like hell!"

Ace's mouth ran dry, but he couldn't muster even an ounce of strength to lick his lips. Luffy got branded like that. While Ace uncovered his back to show his pride – the tattoo of Whitebeard's mark – to the whole world, his little brother would have to hide his back for the rest of his life. Ace clenched his teeth. Just how many wounds had he had to endure before he was rescued?

"I believe it would," Marco agreed casually. He glanced worriedly at Ace who was unusually still. He could see the tension in the young pirate's shoulders, but he brushed it off to the effect of hearing about such disgusting things. "Why are you two even talking about that?"

"Acey here asked," Thatch grinned. "Do you know anything?"

"I heard that after an incident in Mariejois when most slaves fled the place, Celestial Dragons found a new game to entertain themselves. They pit their slaves against each other in death matches."

Ace suddenly had to fight an urge to throw up. He didn't want to hear anymore. He already knew that Luffy's four unaccounted years had been really awful. But the vague understanding he'd had until now was nothing compared to every fact his friends were laying out in front of him. Luffy went through all that? And Ace did what?! Enjoyed an easy life on Dawn Island!

"Shut up," whispered Ace, but it was so quiet that neither of the two pirates heard him.

"They especially enjoy using children in those matches," Marco added, anger clearly in his voice.

"Shut up," this time the freckled pirate said it a bit louder. Marco glanced at him, but Thatch still didn't hear him.

"Whoa! That's horrible!" the redhead continued.

"Shut up!" Ace screamed. He grabbed Thatch by the collar and pressed him against the railings, almost flipping them both into the water. "HE'S NOT A SLAVE!" he yelled in rage as fire flared to life across his shoulders.

Both older men were now fully alarmed. Ace was usually a calm and composed person, keeping his hot temper under complete control. All the crew were fascinated by that, and at the same time absolutely surprised by how the flame user could keep his head cool in the toughest situations. It was so rare for him to lose to his temper.

Thatch tried to gently take Ace's hands away, but withdrew them immediately from the first nip of fire.

"Ace–" Marco started.

"I don't want to hear anymore, so just shut up!" Ace lowered his head, but his grip on Thatch's shirt only tightened. "He's not a slave… Luffy is… He's free, dammit! He'll become the freest person in the world!"

The redhead shared a worried glance with the phoenix. None of them knew what their younger brother was talking about.

"He's my Pirate King!" Ace suddenly exclaimed proudly, followed by a chuckle which soon got choked by a sob. The flames slowly died with it.

Thatch opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to mind. He looked at Marco with a pleading glint in his eyes, but the blonde was also rendered speechless.

Ace was crying, and they didn't know why or how to help him.

A surge of anger sparked in both older pirates. A sudden desire to kill whoever made their dear brother sad like that washed over them. First, they needed to figure out who Ace was talking about.

Thatch carefully placed a hand on Ace's shoulder. "Ace, talk to me, brother," he beseeched gently.

"I-I couldn't do anything. He spent four years in that hell… Thatch, four years!"

"Who?"

"He was taken right from under my nose, and I did nothing! The same with–" Ace fell silent. Luffy's words emerged from his memories. _"Oh, so Sabo was killed by them."_ Flames flared again, responding to a sudden wave of fury. Those despicable people harmed both his brothers!

"Who was taken, Ace?" inquired Marco, watching the fire dancing on the youth's skin cautiously, ready at any time to help Thatch if needed.

The younger Whitebeard pirate was on a serious emotional rollercoaster. This was becoming more dangerous with every minute. The 1st division commander deduced that someone close to Ace was kidnapped and sold as a slave. That was the only feasible explanation to his behavior.

Ace just cursed. He finally let go of Thatch, and the man stepped away from him instantly. Ace felt the urge to punch someone. Or burn someone alive. Preferably, barbecued dragon.

"Oi, Marco!" one of the Whitebeard pirate shouted, strolling towards them. "Watchers saw some rookie pirate ship coming our way, looking for a fight. Pops asked for you to take care of it."

A chuckle reached all of their ears, and three pairs of eyes fell on Ace.

"What perfect timing." Ace turned to them. An evil smile played on his lips, eyes glinting with murderous intent. "I'm ready to take them on."

"Um, but Pops said"-

Marco interrupted the pirate, putting a hand on his shoulder and shaking his head. He turned to the flame user. "Ace, go ahead, yoi."

"Thanks, Marco."

Once Ace and the other pirate went to haul the Striker out, Thatch gawked at Marco.

"What the hell?!"

The phoenix sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I would like to know too. As I understand, someone close to him was taken and sold."

"No kidding." The redhead's gaze lingered to where his freckled brother had disappeared. "What should we do?"

"What can we do, Thatch? We can't force him to tell us what happened."

The pompadour man frowned. "I guess we'll have to wait until he decides to speak about it. Damn! And I thought he was just curious."

Marco patted him on the back. "Let's go watch the show, yoi," he smiled.

They got to the main deck just in time. Ace was already surfing the waves towards the enemy pirate ship. The flames powering the engines of the one-man raft glowed menacingly in the late evening's darkness.

"Where's Pops?" Marco asked of Fossa who was also on the deck, watching the Striker gracefully dodge canon fire.

"He's already retired for the evening," replied the swordsman. "Shouldn't we help Ace?"

"I would advise against it," the phoenix commented. "Ace is grumpy at the moment."

Thatch snorted, "Putting it lightly."

Fossa looked at them both, puzzled.

A pillar of fire in the distance drew the attention of everybody present on the Moby Dick's deck. The bow of the attacking ship was now engulfed in flames. There was another burst in the middle, much smaller. Suddenly all the fire subsided.

Whitebeard's crew fell silent, dumbfounded. No one wanted to believe that their new brother just lost to a bunch of rookies.

A fireball slowly started to form in the middle of the sea, just a bit further from the rookies' vessel. It grew into an enormous ball of flames, roaring with supernova's heat and destructive power. Most of spectators aboard Whitebeard's flagship cringed as it collided with the enemy ship, devouring it completely in mere seconds.

"Did I just see Ace drop a freaking sun on that ship?" Haruta inquired, joining the other commanders.

"Yeah," breathed out Thatch. "Poor sods."

"So that's what grumpy Ace look like, huh?" Fossa mused, nervously chewing on his cigar.

The Striker sailed back and after a couple of moments, the flame user jumped over the railings and onto the Moby Dick. He turned to the men on deck. "Can someone take care of my raft? Thanks."

His authoritative tone didn't leave any room for refusal, and several crewmembers scrambled to do what he'd just asked.

"Feeling better, yoi?" wondered Marco, closely observing Ace with his usual bored expression on his face.

"No," replied the youth. He walked past all four commanders, a brim of his hat shadowing his eyes.

"Um, Ace, would you like me to make you a pudding?" Thatch blurted out awkwardly. "Or pancakes, maybe?"

Ace stopped, causing the redhead to have an inner debate whether it was a good idea to call out for him and if he should run and hide in Pops' room now. Thatch was worried sick about the kid, though. He really liked him, but apparently his newest brother was able to transform into a vengeful devil, dropping suns, as Haruta had said, on the unlucky souls like it was nothing.

The flame user turned around and looked straight at Thatch. Part of his consciousness realized that he couldn't really do anything now, that he'd already helped his little brother as much as he could, that all the hell Luffy had to go through was in the past. Luffy was a strong person, his unyielding will was above anything Ace had ever encountered, but he still felt so horrible, so guilty and so helpless, because of all the knowledge he now possessed. Some part of him wished he'd never asked about it.

The happily grinning face of Luffy popped into Ace's mind and he smiled too. "That would be great, Thatch."

* * *

**-Presently, somewhere in the East Blue-**

"Do you understand what you are looking at?" Nami asked.

"Of course!" Luffy huffed. "The map to the Grand Line!"

Nami was standing at the edge of her boat, which had a small cabin in the middle and still held a black sail with Buggy's mark, and was leaning over it to get better view of the map which was outspread on her companion's dinghy's floor. Luffy was sitting cross-legged in front of it, while Zoro napped nearby.

"Yeah, but can you read maps, Luffy?"

The teen pulled his eyebrows together as he stared at the map with great concentration. After a moment, he let out a heavy sigh of defeat, but then cocked his head and declared proudly, "Nope!"

"It's not something to be proud of!" the thief raised her voice in exasperation. "It's a miracle you survived up to now!"

"Shishishishi. That's why I've got you now, Nami!" Luffy flashed his usual sunny grin at her. "Zoro is my swordsman, and you're my navigator! We're nakama!"

"I'M NOT YOURS!" screamed the girl, before turned her back to the rubber boy. "Stupid pirates always think about people as they are just tools to be used."

"You, guys, are too noisy," mumbled Zoro, sitting up and rubbing his eye before yawing. "I can't sleep in peace with all this noise."

Luffy observed the orange-haired thief with sad eyes then turned to Zoro and grinned. "Sorry, sorry." Something in the horizon caught his attention, and he squinted. "Oi, I see an island!" he exclaimed excitedly, jumping on the bowsprit and leaning forward, trying to spy what kind of island it was.

Nami brought her binoculars up and looked through them. "That island is unpopulated, so it's not worth landing there. Let's just keep going," she reasoned.

"Nah, it's perfect!" cheered the boy, grabbing oars and starting to row towards the island.

"How's that perfect?! WAIT!"

* * *

As the dinghy bumped into the rocky shore of the new island, Luffy jumped off of it and glanced over the area before his eyes.

The shore was hard and rocky, but relatively smooth with some huge boulders on one side. Dense forest line stretched across the wide and empty field.

Luffy grinned. It was certainly perfect for what he wanted to do. Zoro landed beside him and stretched his neck. Nami's boat also bumped into the shore, but the thief wasn't in a hurry to step on the ground.

"Like I said, this is an unpopulated island," Nami huffed. "The sun has already started to go down, so let's just use the daylight while we still can."

Not paying any attention to their navigator's discontent, Luffy turned to Zoro. "Want to spar?"

The swordsman gave him incredulous glance. "Spar?"

"Yeah, it's been a long time since I sparred with anyone."

Zoro smirked. He would never miss a chance to see what his captain could do. It had been ages since his last spar too, so he felt that he might be a bit rusty. The swordsman's gaze fell on the boy's shoulder, and he slightly frowned. Luffy fought with his bare fists, a wound like that would really undermine his abilities.

"Come on!" Luffy walked forward, excitement radiating from him. "It'll be fun!"

"Oi, Luffy, aren't you hurt?" Nami asked. She persuaded herself that she just felt sorry for the boy, she was in no way concerned about the pirate's wellbeing.

"Don't worry, Nami!" a cheeky smile spread across the straw hatted captain's face.

"I'm not worried!" she screamed, causing Luffy to just laugh it off. "Fine! You can both just kill each other, like I care!"

"Luffy," Zoro called, unsheathing his two katanas. "I hope you can defend yourself against my blades with just bare fists."

Luffy's smile grew wider. "Who said I'll fight you with only my fists?" he inquired as he pulled out three metal sticks from behind him and assembled them into a Bo staff.

He started to spin the staff in front of him at an incredible speed. Not slowing down, Luffy lifted his hands to spin it above his head, occasionally twisting it around his back. At one point he flung the whirling staff into the air, caught it again and just kept spinning. When the weapon finally came to a halt, Luffy smiled satisfied. It had been quite a while since the last time he used his staff, but his body still remembered how to properly wield it.

Zoro observed the captain's short warm up routine with the staff. "Interesting," he muttered, as he felt his own excitement rising. He pulled out his third sword and put it into his mouth.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Different Kind of Monsters


	10. Different Kind of Monsters

Zoro observed the captain's short warm up routine with the staff. "Interesting," he muttered, as he felt his own excitement rising. He pulled out his third sword and put it into his mouth.

Tranquil anticipation settled onto the sparring ground while the two opponents stared at each other.

Nami gulped nervously. She felt tension rising between Zoro and Luffy, but couldn't understand why. They were only supposed to be having a friendly match weren't they? So what's up with all the pressure in the air?

Zoro was the first one to finally spring into action. He launched himself at Luffy, all three katanas gleaming dangerously in the light of the setting sun. The blades and the metal staff clinked sharply as Luffy blocked the attack. For several minutes Luffy was on the defensive, blocking or parrying the hits. When he switched into the offensive, it was Zoro's turn to block the blows from his opponent.

The pirates exchanged a few more strikes in a playful manner, before jumping away from each other. The swordsman smirked, and Luffy broke into his usual grin. The boy suddenly kicked off of the ground, leaping high into the air, and swung his staff down into the two crossed katanas.

Zoro bit his white katana even harder as he fended off Luffy's attack, trying not to kneel. His biceps almost went numb from the pure force of the blow. For being such a small guy, his captain certainly had an inhuman strength. Finally, the swordsman pushed the teen away, and instantly had to jump backwards because Luffy twisted his weapon around and thrust it forward aiming right at Zoro's stomach.

The swordsman crossed arms with both swords parallel to each other. "Oni Giri!" All three blades sang slicing the air, but Luffy ducked below them and swiftly kicked his sparring partner's legs out from under him.

Zoro dropped onto the ground with a groan. His eyes widened as he saw Luffy's leg stretched upwards right above him. He rolled to the side dodging the foot which shot back like a lightning bolt from the heavens. The earth cratered from the impact, deep cracks forming from the center.

Not wasting a moment, the green-haired pirate jumped to his feet, swung the two katanas, and clashed them against the defensively raised staff. He swiped at Luffy with the sword in his mouth. The teen yelped in surprise and hopped back to avoid it.

Zoro spun around. "Tatsu"- he started to mutter, before Luffy stabbed his staff into the ground, causing one of the swords to smash into it and thus breaking his special attack.

The black-haired boy yanked his weapon out, tucked it under his arm and swiveled around in the similar manner as Zoro, delivering a quick and powerful strike. The swordsman barely blocked it. The force flung him across the field and into the forest. Luffy bit the staff, stretched both arms to grab at the tree and slingshot himself after the three-sword user.

Nami slumped onto the bottom of her boat once both boys disappeared from view. Her eyes were still wide from shock. That fight, because she couldn't call it any other name, was more like a duel to the death between two enemies than a friendly sparring match between two nakama. Were they really trying to kill each other? The thief shook her head. Even if they were acquainted for only a couple of days, there was no way that they would actually wanted to harm each other, right?

The loud creaking of trees reached Nami's ears. Flocks of birds suddenly burst out of the forest as one of the trees toppled over. The navigator gaped. What the hell was wrong with those two?! They were both genuine monsters!

* * *

Zoro parried another attack from Luffy before swinging his weapons at him. The teen successfully dodged to the side, and the blades sliced another tree. It creaked painfully and collapsed.

Some kind of small bush squeaked and jumped right from under the falling tree before getting squashed. The swordsman spared the strange thing a split second glance, but he couldn't afford to be distracted by it. Not when his opponent was launching himself at him again.

Luffy smashed his staff into the defensively crossed katanas. He turned his head slightly to look at the odd looking bush which now tried to sneak away unnoticed.

Zoro didn't hesitate to take advantage of the boy's momentary distraction as he instantly twisted one of the swords in his hand for a counterattack. "Tatsumaki!" A violent tornado roared to life as the swordsman spun around several times.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" shrieked the bush in total panic as it was caught by the tornado and hurled up high into the air.

Ignoring the screaming bush, which apparently was stuck in the chest beside him, Luffy righted himself mid-air, gripped his weapon with both arms and raised it above his head.

This time Zoro wasn't able to stay standing as he knelt down on one knee to support himself against Luffy's heavy blow from above. After a moment of deadlock, the rubber boy jumped away, allowing him to stand. The two sparring partners exchanged several more hits.

Luffy suddenly rammed his staff into the ground, utilizing it as a support for himself as he kicked Zoro with both legs. The swordsman blocked it by crossing his weapons in front, but the impact sent him backwards. As he skidded along the ground, Zoro stabbed his katanas down and managed to stop himself right before crashing into some kind of small rocky plateau in the middle of the clearing.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

A sudden deep voice startled Zoro. He lifted his head to look at his opponent, but managed to register only a red blur approaching him with arms stretched far behind. His instincts sent alarms and started to scream to get the hell out of the incoming attack's way as fast as possible.

"…Bazooka!"

The swordsman barely rolled out of the way as Luffy snapped both his arms forward, straight into the rocky plateau. With a loud bang, half of it crumbled down.

The rubber teen jumped from the falling rocks, and suddenly burst into laughter. "Oops, I got caught up in the moment," he confessed sheepishly, turning to the swordsman. "Are you okay, Zoro?" Luffy asked, offering a hand to his nakama who was still sitting on the ground.

"You really don't show any mercy," Zoro smirked, accepting the hand and letting his captain pull him up, "but it was fun."

"Shishishishi, I told you!"

Zoro sheathed his katanas. His hands were slightly trembling from such an intense workout. It was ages since he had a fight like that, if at all. He knew that Luffy was strong before this match, but now Zoro ascertained that he also was an experienced fighter.

Luffy walked over to his Bo staff where he'd left it stabbed into the ground, and plucked it out. He was disassembling it back into separate parts, when a question came from Zoro.

"So, how was I?"

The teen looked at him, surprised. He would have never thought that Zoro would ask him to assess his skills.

"You're strong," Luffy said honestly, slipping the metal sticks back into their place in the holster attached to his lower back. "You could do even better if you had more fighting experience against stronger opponents." He furrowed his brow, trying to think of the correct way to convey his point. "It seems that you don't know how to take advantage of your own skills."

Zoro unconsciously caressed his white katana, while thinking over Luffy's words. "Would you like to spar more in the future?" he asked after a couple of moments.

An impossibly-sized grin spread across the straw hatted captain's face. "Of course!" Suddenly his stomach growled causing him to laugh lightly. "We should go back to Nami."

Zoro nodded, and Luffy started to walk towards where they left the boats. The swordsman though promptly strolled in the opposite direction.

"Zoro," the rubber pirate called, confusion written all over his face. "Where are you going?"

Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean where? I'm going back to the shore."

"So, why are you going in that direction? The boats are over there." Luffy motioned behind him.

"Really? I'm pretty sure we need to go this way."

"Shishishishi. No wonder you got lost on your way home." The teen stretched his arm, grabbed his nakama by the shirt and dragged him over. "I can sense Nami in this direction, so that's where we're going."

Zoro just grumbled something under his breath about 'not being lost', but complied and followed the captain through the forest. "Your mystery power again? Next thing you'll tell me that you can see the future," he joked.

Luffy hummed. "Well, sort of," he answered, making his green-haired companion choke on his own words. "My mystery power allows me to see the incoming attacks pointed at me before they happen," he explained, before showing a cheeky smile. "It's really hard to hit me!"

Zoro gawked at him in shock. "Seriously?"

"My brother always complained how it's unfair," the teen pouted.

"I can agree with him," the swordsman muttered. He really needed to stop joking about Luffy's mystery power.

Nami's eyes widened as she sighted the two pirates emerging from the forest, engaged in a friendly chat. For a moment, she expected to see one of them coming from the forest all bloody while dragging the other's body… The navigator shivered from her own imagination.

"Didn't you two just try to kill each other?!" she demanded an answer.

Luffy and Zoro regarded her with total bewilderment.

"What are you talking about, Nami?" Luffy asked, really aggrieved with even the mere thought of that. "I'll never go against my nakama."

"Have you never seen a sparring match?" nonchalantly inquired Zoro.

"Sparring match?! Yeah! What you two were doing certainly didn't look like one! It was more like a fight to the death!" the thief screamed, but before any of her companions could retort, she lifted her palm, showing that she didn't want to hear anything from them. "It's not like I was worried! I don't care what happens to you two monsters! Let's just go!" She huffed, turned around, and went to prepare the sail for the journey.

The swordsman stared for a moment. "What's her problem?"

"Beats me," the teen shrugged.

* * *

The pirates left the unpopulated island and headed for their next destination, coordinated by Nami who was still in a disgruntled mood. She insisted to sail as far as possible until the sun completely went down, but to her dismay the wind died, and now the two boats simply drifted in the calm waters of the East Blue.

The thief retired for the night into her boat's cabin. Luffy was sitting in his usual spot on the bowsprit of his dinghy and was munching on an apple. Zoro was lounging on the side of the same dinghy with closed eyes and both hands behind his head. This time he wasn't napping, but contemplating the sparring match with the captain.

"AH!" suddenly exclaimed Luffy, gaining a worried glance from his swordsman. "I forgot to check on that guy we met in the forest!"

"What guy?"

"You don't remember?" the teen looked at Zoro over his shoulder. "He had big green hair and was stuck in the chest."

Zoro frowned, thinking for a moment. "You mean that talking bush?!" he suddenly asked, sitting up into straight position. "Was that even a human?"

"Yeah," Luffy nodded before laughing mirthfully. "I hope he landed successfully after you sent him into the sky."

"What do you mean 'stuck in the chest'?" The swordsman relaxed, leaning on the side of the boat again. "Is he like a 'boxed son'?"

"Shishishishi, who knows? Maybe."

* * *

Gaimon lay sprawled on top of the half destroyed rocky plateau where he crashed after being tossed into the air by that freaky tornado. A bunch of treasure chests were scattered around him.

He tried to calm his panicking heart and finally allowed himself to let out a breath he was holding in until now as he couldn't hear the voices of the two strangers anymore.

"Demons…" Gaimon mumbled to himself. "Those two were definitely demons."

* * *

" _Shahahaha!"_

Nami rolled on her other side, still in deep sleep.

" _Shahahaha!"_

She curled into a ball, trying to hide from the scornful and cruel laughter as much as possible.

" _We ain't got any food for a filthy human brat like you!"_

A silent whimper escaped the girl's mouth, and she pulled a blanket over her head.

" _So shut up and keep drawing those maps!"_

And she drew. Nami kept drawing while her whole body was trembling and aching, while tears ran across her cheeks and smeared the lines in her maps. She drew even as the scared, hungry girl with an almost broken spirit couldn't see hope anymore. Nami felt a painful tingle in her fingers. She was drawing maps for her tormentors until her fingers started bleeding, her own life liquid mixing with the ink.

" _You're our nakama, Nami, don't ever forget that. Shahahaha!"_

Nami hated that word. She hated to be called a nakama, because the only one who ever called her that was the murderer of her beloved mother. The thief despised the mere thought of it. She dug her aching fingers into her shoulder, wanting nothing more but to rip off her own skin with that despicable Fishman's tattoo and finally become free.

" _Die for your stupid love."_

Nami jerked from her sleep and sat up right away. She pulled her legs to her chest, wrapped her arms around them and buried her face into the knees.

" _Nojiko! Nami! I love you."_

Bellemere's last words echoed in her ears together with the gunshot from Arlong's pistol. Tears gathered in the navigator's eyes as she bit her lip trying to stop it from spilling out.

Nami felt a tender touch on the top of her head. Someone started to stroke her hair with just his fingertips, so very gently and soothingly, that the thief unconsciously leaned into the touch. It reminded her of the feeling of Bellemere's hands from her distant and happy childhood.

Not able to hold the tears inside anymore, Nami suddenly jumped from her curled up position and wrapped her arms around the person in front of her. The sobs finally escaped her mouth as she buried her face into the stranger's chest and started crying.

The stranger said nothing, using only his strong, but kind presence to console the weeping girl. Several times she broke down like that in front of Nojiko, and her sister always tried to calm her down with soft promises that everything will be okay, that someday they'd escape their hellish life under the cruel regime of Arlong. And Nami wanted to believe her, she really did, but some annoying voice deep inside her just kept whispering that Nojiko's words were empty, voiced aloud just to comfort her.

The gentle hand was still on her head in a comforting manner, and Nami felt safe for the first time in so many years. She remembered other words her deceased mother once said to her: _"If you continue to live on, you'll surely come across fun times as well!"_ The hope Nami almost surrendered suddenly flared like a beacon. She'd collect 100 million beli! She'd buy Cocoyasi Village! And she'd definitely protect the people she cared about!

Now that the thief finally calm down, a thought that she was in the middle of the ocean alone with two monstrous pirates as her only companions popped into her head. Her eyes widened, and she instantly recoiled from 'the stranger', pushing him away.

A soft smile under the straw hat met her frightened gaze when Luffy stepped back.

"W-what do you want here, pirate?!" a demand slipped from Nami's mouth, and she winced from her own harsh tone.

But the boy kept smiling and looking at her with that sad, yet sincere, glint in his eyes. "Nothing," he replied as he turned and walked to the exit. "Sorry for the intrusion." With a final glance at a bewildered navigator, Luffy left the cabin.

Nami stared at the doorway where the pirate had disappeared. She was so confused. Did Luffy really come here just to comfort her? How did he know about it? Maybe he came in to do something to her while she was asleep? Or maybe he wanted to steal her treasure?

The thief gasped. She leapt from the cot and ran to the corner to check on her bags of treasure. But the bags were like she left before, nobody had touched it.

Nami bit her lip. A sudden wave of shame engulfed her. Luffy probably just heard her thrashing around and came to check on her, and Nami didn't even say thanks. She'd jumped to the conclusion that the young captain wanted to harm her just because he was a pirate.

" _Zoro is my swordsman, and you're my navigator! We're nakama!"_

Nakama. Nami had to wonder what that word really meant for Luffy. Was it really so different from Arlong's?

She couldn't fall asleep anymore. As the first ray of sunrise shone through the small window of her cabin, Nami threw the blanket off of her and exited into the fresh morning air.

The thief stretched and smiled contently. She glanced at the dinghy, tied to her own boat for the night. Zoro was quietly snoring, still in a deep and peaceful sleep. Luffy was sitting on the bowsprit, watching the sunrise.

Nami gingerly walked closer and stopped at the bow of her boat, near the young pirate. She glanced at him, but if he knew of her presence he didn't acknowledge it.

"Luffy," the navigator called, suddenly feeling so very out of her depth. The rubber boy turned his head to look at her. "I wanted to say thanks for…" Nami tilted her head towards the cabin, not sure how to express what she wanted to say.

The same gentle smile which got stuck on Nami's mind from last night appeared on Luffy's face. "You're welcome," he answered.

"You're not going to ask about it?" she blurted out, hugging herself like trying to shield her person from the outside world.

"Nami," Luffy changed his position so that he could face his navigator face to face, "would you tell me if I asked?"

The orange-haired girl bit her lip and hugged herself even harder. She really wanted to tell someone about all the hell she was going through, just scream for help at the top of her lungs, but she couldn't do that. Last time Nami yelled for help, people got hurt. She was all alone in her misery, she could trust only herself.

"And that's why I won't ask," the straw hatted teen stated firmly, throwing Nami into confusion once again.

She stared at the black-haired pirate who still had that soft smile on his face, so different from his usual happy grin or cocky smirk. Without even realizing, Nami whispered, "The pirates killed my mother."

"Oh." Luffy's smile faltered as he gazed at his nakama compassionately. "I'm sorry," he said after a moment.

The navigator smiled distantly. Luffy might had been a pirate, but he was definitely not like Arlong. Maybe being called a nakama by this exuberant rubber boy was not such a bad feeling after all. She could enjoy that, at least for a while.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** Pirates' Games


	11. Pirates' Games

"There's no way we can get to the Grand Line in our current condition," Nami suddenly stated.

The two boats had been sailing through the calm waters of the East Blue for a while now.

Luffy looked at her from his spot on the bowsprit, then to the small piece of apple in his hand. "You're right. We need to restock on food," he said, throwing the fruit into his mouth. "It would be bad if you guys had to starve."

Zoro peeked at his captain with a sideways glance. That was some strange wording, like he hadn't included himself into the possibility of starvation. He bit at his own apple and mumbled, "Some booze would be nice, too."

"Do you two think about anything but food and booze?!" the navigator huffed. "The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world! There will be lots of pirates with powerful ships and crews. We don't even have a normal ship, not to mention that we lack manpower."

"Yep, we definitely need some more people," the straw hatted pirate agreed, gazing again at the distant horizon. "A cook, a musician, and a fluffy one, they are the most important!"

Nami blinked. "Fluffy one?"

Luffy just showed her a goofy grin before bursting into laughter.

The thief gawked at him in absolute bafflement, then shifted her eyes onto Zoro who apparently wasn't surprised by the odd declaration of his captain. She stared at him intensely, trying to drill a hole in the side of his head. The swordsman scowled, but said nothing.

"Well?" Nami broke the silence between them, impatient for an answer. "Are you going to explain?"

"Why are you even asking me?" Zoro send an annoyed glare towards her, but the orange-haired girl placed her hands on her hips and brushed it off like it was nothing.

"You've been sailing with Luffy longer than me. You should know what he's talking about."

"I have no idea," deadpanned the swordsman.

A blissful giggle reached their ears, and both pirates looked at their child captain who observed them curiously. "You two are so funny!" he declared with the biggest, sunniest grin, splitting his face in half.

Nami groaned in exasperation. "You don't make any sense! Fluffy one? Musician? What do you think a pirate crew is?"

"Nakama!" Luffy shouted in glee. "Like a family!"

The navigator sighed. She couldn't understand this kid at all. Sometimes he acted like a true pirate in a ruthless and brutal way, but sometimes… The night when she cried into his chest flashed in her mind, and Nami frowned. "Do you even know what pirates usually do?" she asked.

"I do," Luffy replied in such a serious tone that the thief got startled from the sudden change. "Different pirates want different things." The boy placed a hand on top of his straw hat and grinned with confidence under it. "I sail the seas to become the Pirate King! Zoro wants to become the world's greatest swordsman!"

Zoro simply smirked at Luffy's statement.

Nami gaped at them. Pirate King? World's greatest swordsman? Those were rather presumptuous ambitions! But in a way her childhood dream was quite similar. Sadly she'd had to abandon it so that it wouldn't get in the way of her current goal.

The thief almost flinched when she heard a question from Luffy, "What's your dream, Nami?"

Nami suddenly found herself under heavy scrutiny of those piercing obsidian eyes. She hated that. When Luffy peered right into her eyes like that, she felt like he could see all the ugliness she tried so hard to hide and she had to fight an urge to spill everything to him.

"I want to draw the map of the world," the navigator conceded finally.

"Ohhh, that's an amazing dream!" praised Luffy, grinning widely. "Shishishishi, to reach One Piece we'll have to visit a lot of places. So, how about joining my crew instead of an alliance, Nami?"

Nami scowled. "I already told you no."

The teen still wanted to say something, but suddenly something in the distant sea caught his attention and he looked in that direction, trying to figure out exactly what it was.

Nami followed his line of sight, squinting at the small fleck on the horizon. "That's a pirate ship," she announced after looking at it through the binoculars. "We should go around it if we want to sneak past them unnoticed."

"Why?" Luffy asked, confused.

"They are pirates!"

"Well, we are too. Oi, Zoro!" the rubber boy called, getting the attention of his swordsman. "Are you up for some exercise?"

"What do you have in mind?"

A mischievous smile curled on Luffy's lips. "I say we go visit them," he pointed at the pirate ship.

"Are you insane?!" exclaimed the thief. "We don't even know what kind of pirates they are! Or how strong they are!"

"If they are good guys, we can just make friends," suggested the captain. "If they are bad guys, they could have some treasure for you to steal."

Nami's face instantly lit up at his words, and both pirates could swear that they saw beli signs in her eyes. "Alright, captain, let's go!" she cheered, promptly changing the course of her boat towards the enemy ship.

"She doesn't make any sense herself," Zoro commented sourly, eliciting a laugh from Luffy.

As they approached the red and black pirate ship with a black cat as a figurehead, they perceived that the ship was actually at anchor. Nami informed them that there was an island maybe half a day from here, so the pirate ship staying so close to it was quite suspicious.

This pirate crew was also very inattentive. Two boats sailed right next to the ship and came to a stop by bumping into its hull, but nobody rang an alarm or even yelled a warning.

"How are we going to climb up?" Nami asked, while looking up, trying to spy anyone staring down at them. It was an enemy vessel, after all, and judging by its size, the crew had to be quite big.

Luffy just grinned. "Pass me the rope," he requested. As soon as he grabbed one end of the rope, the teen stretched his other hand upwards, gripping the railings and pulling himself up.

He landed on the railings, and immediately scanned the deck. There were only a couple of pirates, lazily observing the ocean on the other side of the ship. Luffy could sense the others inside. He tied the rope and gave a signal to his nakama.

"Oi, guys!" the straw hatted captain shouted at the two pirates. They turned around and blinked at the strange kid, sitting on the railings. A bright smile spread across Luffy's face. "Hi! How are you?"

The men just stared at his goofy grin, unable to comprehend the situation. When Zoro's head popped up from over the hull, they finally snapped out of their daze. "WHO ARE YOU?!" they both roared in unison.

"I'm Luffy, this is Zoro," the rubber boy introduced them both. The swordsman hopped over the railings and leaned on them right next to his captain.

"Well, boys, you really found the wrong ship to sneak onto," one of the pirates grinned evilly while unsheathing his saber. "This is a pirate ship, you know."

The second man ran inside to call out the rest of the crew.

Luffy's grin grew even wider. "We're pirates too!"

"Oh?" answered the man, amused, before laughing mockingly. "What kind of pirates are you? Baby pirates?" He sprinted across the deck, swinging his saber at the hatted boy.

Zoro drew his blade in a flash, deflecting the attack and slashing the assailant. "We're stronger pirates than you," he remarked coolly as the guy dropped down bleeding.

"I guess it means that they are bad guys," Luffy decided, disappointed. He nonchalantly watched the rest of the crew bursting out onto the deck and starting to fuss about the intruders and their crewmate lying out cold. An idea suddenly popped in the teen's mind, and he grinned again. "Zoro, wanna make a bet?"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow at that. "A bet?" he echoed.

"Shishishishi! Let's make a bet who can take more of them," the captain pointed at the pirates, ignoring a bunch of angry growls and glares. "The winner will get to ask one favor from the loser."

Zoro showed a savage grin. "Okay, I'm in," he agreed, already pulling out the other two swords.

Luffy gave him his own cocky smile. "You have a head start," he jumped from the railings and cracked his knuckles, "but it doesn't mean that I'll let you win."

* * *

"I'm Sham," introduced the slim weirdo.

"I'm Buchi," said the fat weirdo.

"Together, we're the Nyaban Brothers!" they both chorused, striking a pose.

Luffy and Zoro shared a baffled glance. When the last pirate had dropped on the deck, these two weirdoes in cat costumes had shown up from seemingly nowhere.

Ignoring them, the rubber teen looked over the railings. "Oi, Nami, the enemy is down, you can… hm?" Two empty boats were lazily swaying on the sea next to the ship's hull. Luffy eyed the vessel he was on, smiling after a moment. The thief was already doing her job.

"H-how dare you attack our ship!" asked the slim weirdo, stuttering a bit.

"We're this ship's guardians, our duty is to protect it," mumbled the fat weirdo.

"So, why won't you do it?" Zoro teased, re-sheathing two of his swords. These pirates weren't even worth their time, they seemed already scared out of their wits.

"What? How can we… Buchi, we can't beat them!" Sham declared, frantically waving his hands in front of him and sweating profusely.

"Yeah!" agreed his brother, nodding violently. "You, guys, look so strong!"

"But we need to do it!" cried the slim weirdo, almost in tears.

"We need to protect the ship while the captain is out!" the fat weirdo seconded.

Luffy stared at them. These two were the strongest he'd met in this crew so far, so why were they acting like weaklings? They weren't even really scared.

As both enemies suddenly launched themselves, at the same time crying and wailing, Luffy shouted a warning to his swordsman, "Zoro, stay alert!"

A sly smirk suddenly slipped on Sham's lips as he swung his gloved arm with the sharp claws on it, but the three-sword user reacted to his captain's order without any hesitation. The moment the claws clashed to his defensively lifted katana, he pulled out the second one and slashed, forcing the cat-pirate to retreat. Zoro bit the third katana, "Tora Gari!" Sham screamed in pain, falling down as deep cuts appeared across his chest.

The fat body of the second weirdo flew back past Zoro and crashed through the railings, landing in the water several metres away. A carefree chuckle came from Luffy after his arm snapped back into place.

"Luffy, be more careful where you throw your opponents!" Zoro chided.

"Shishishishi! Sorry, sorry!" the rubber boy replied in a not very apologetic tone. "So, how many do you have?"

The swordsman smirked proudly. "Seventeen."

Luffy gave him a smug grin. "And I have eighteen!" he exclaimed, fist-pumping the air.

Zoro frowned. "Tch…"

The straw hatted teen burst into victorious laughter.

Nami peeked at the deck from behind the door, making sure it was safe. At the sight of her companion laughing so merrily, she exited the ship's interior, and looked at him, puzzled. "What's so funny?" she inquired.

"Oh, Nami!" Luffy beamed at her. "Working hard, I see. Did you find anything interesting?"

The thief shook her head and sighed in great disappointment. "This is one of the poorest pirate crews I have ever seen. I only managed to find a few thousand beli." She glanced over the deck, littered with defeated pirates. "Who won your bet?"

"I did!" Luffy shouted with glee, causing the swordsman's frown to deepen.

Curiosity getting the better of her, Nami put forward the next question, "What are you going to ask from Zoro?"

The green haired man perked up at that, also looking at the hatted teen with curiosity while the latter hummed thoughtfully. "Don't know yet," he answered.

The navigator sighed. She glanced at the sun. "We should get moving if we want to reach the next island before night."

"Right! Let's go!" the captain cheered.

* * *

Usopp was a coward. He would be the first one to confess that, even if someone else would state otherwise. He always tried to appear brave, adventurous, and heroic, full of false bravado, however it didn't change the fact that Usopp the Liar was an actual coward.

But deep down there was another side to the young sharpshooter, he was also a protector. He couldn't stay on the sidelines while seeing injustice before his eyes. He also couldn't bare the sight of someone suffering. Maybe that's why he approached Kaya for the first time. Usopp was unable to ignore the girl's misery.

The boy wanted to see everyone smile around him. He ran through the village every morning to make people happy. Usopp wasn't stupid, he knew that most of the villagers actually enjoyed chasing him daily. He always had a warm feeling well up inside his chest because of all their smiles and laughter.

Usopp was a protector. He couldn't just run or hide from the moment he had eavesdropped the conversation between Kaya's butler Klahadore and that weirdo Jango.

And that's why now he stood up alone on the peak of the slope and watched a pirate ship nearing the shore. His legs were shaking, sweat poured off of him. He gripped his slingshot so hard that it left bruises on his palm. But the liar refused to step back. Even when the gunshot wound in his arm throbbed painfully, even if his whole body ached from the beating he got yesterday, he refused to let scum harm his village.

Usopp clenched his teeth, gulping down the urge to bolt from his spot, as the pirate ship finally reached the shore and the group of pirates appeared from it. He readied his slingshot. He'll protect this island! He'll protect Kaya!

"You just stepped on the land of the great captain Usopp!" he yelled to the pirates, getting their attention. "I'm in charge of the security of this village! So, turn around if you don't want to see me getting serious!"

The men snapped their heads at him, much more startled than Usopp actually thought they should be. Seeing only the lone, weak-looking teenager with a funny long nose, they heaved a heavy sigh of relief in unison.

"I thought it was that kid with the straw hat again," muttered one of them.

"Or that green-haired demon," seconded the other. Several of his friends responded with wild nodding.

Usopp noticed the pirates talking with each other, but he was too far away to hear any of it. He wasn't discouraged by the lack of their response though. He would do anything to defend the village and its people. This pirate crew didn't even look so intimidating. Only about fifteen men and all of them seemed wounded. The sharpshooter nodded to himself. These pirates were a joke!

Wait, what?

Usopp paused in his musing, and blinked at the pirate crew below. He rubbed his eyes, thinking that maybe he was dreaming or something got into them.

Every pirate seemed bandaged heavily. Some were limping; others used crutches to help them walk, or leaned on each other for aid. There was a groan heard in the crowd from time to time. The only one who seemed alright was the hypnotist weirdo Usopp saw yesterday. The man kept jumping around his beaten looking crew and barking orders.

All in all, these men seemed like they'd just returned from a deadly battle. Usopp couldn't believe his eyes. What's up with this sorry looking pirate crew?

"Who are you?!" Jango yelled in his direction. "What do you want?!"

Usopp showed them a smile, full of confidence which he really didn't have, and shouted at them again, striking a dramatic pose for extra effect. "I'm warning you! RETREAT NOW! Before I call my 80 million crewmen to kill you all!"

"Oi, oi… only an idiot would fall for that…" muttered one of the pirates.

The hypnotist's jaw dropped. "WHAT?! 80 million crewmen?!" he shouted in awe. "So… So many!"

The man next to him facepalmed. "Captain!" he screamed. "He's only lying! Don't believe him!"

Jango blinked at his crewmate before glaring at the long-nosed teen. "You, bastard, how dare you lie to me?!"

Usopp gritted his teeth, trying to hold in a violent shudder. He grabbed several projectiles from his bag and put it into his slingshot.

"I already said I'm sorry!" suddenly rang a jolly voice from further along the beach. "Stop trying to hit me!"

Everyone present whipped their heads to look at the speaker. Three people were coming towards them, completely ignoring or not noticing what was happening in front of them. The orange haired girl was waving her fists, trying to land a hit on the black haired boy. Holding his straw hat with one hand and grinning sheepishly, the kid easily dodged every strike. The third person, a green haired man with three swords, was observing the exchange indifferently.

"Let me! Hit you! At least! Once!" Nami squeezed through clenched teeth, simultaneously attacking the rubber idiot who weaved out of her every blow seemingly without any effort.

"No way!" Luffy protested. "I hate violence!"

Zoro snickered at his words, and Nami palmed her face. "Just whose mouth did that came from…" Then she propped her hands on her hips and glared at the straw hatted pirate. "If you hadn't rowed your boat after that stupid bird, we would have landed on this island yesterday!"

"It looked yummy," Luffy pouted.

"It's not like we're actually in a hurry," the swordsman chimed in.

A stern scowl found its way on the navigator's features. "Well, I am!" she exclaimed. "Why are you on his side?!"

Zoro shrugged. "Luffy is the captain."

Luffy nodded in agreement. "And it's the captain's job to decide the course of his boat!" he declared proudly.

"Yeah! But the captain needs to listen to his navigator while on the open sea!" Nami swung at the hatted teen again, but he ducked under it, laughing lightly.

"You'll never be able to hit him," Zoro noted with a teasing smirk. "Just give up."

"Shishishishi!"

Nami narrowed her eyes. "Really?" She clenched her fist, stomped to the swordsman and smacked him over the head.

"What the hell, woman?!" he yelled at her, rubbing the back of his head where he was hit.

The thief sighed. "It's not the same thing as hitting Luffy," she said, still irritated, "but I feel a bit better now."

"Good for you, Nami!" cheered the captain.

"Oi!" Zoro objected. He suddenly noticed the group of people in front, and stopped in his tracks, glancing over the ship. "Aren't they the same pirates we met yesterday?" he asked his companions.

Luffy and Nami also looked at the men, then at their ship.

"Indeed, they are," the thief agreed. "What are those penniless idiots doing here?"

Luffy grinned at the already paling pirates. "Oh, we meet again!" He lowered his head so that the rim of the straw hat would shadow his eyes, and his happy grin slowly changed into the wicked one. "Ready for round two?"

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Tale of the Gutsy Liar


	12. The Tale of the Gutsy Liar

Luffy grinned at the already paling pirates. "Oh, we meet again!" He lowered his head so that the rim of the straw hat shadowed his eyes, and his happy grin slowly changed into the wicked one. "Ready for round two?"

Some pirates stepped away from him, several plainly fell on their butts with terror etched across their features.

"C-c-captain Jango! It's them!" stuttered one of them.

"What?! You were defeated by three kids?!" the hypnotist yelled in outrage.

"Actually," Luffy interjected, "Nami didn't participate, so they were defeated by only two of us."

Zoro smiled, and Nami chuckled.

"We'll just have to deal with them now!" Jango ordered.

"B-but, captain…"

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the man's title. He glanced at Luffy, but the boy observed them passively.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Jango reprimanded his crew. "Did you forget captain Kuro's orders? We can't mess it up or else he'll kill us all!"

"If you want to fight, I'll be your opponent," the three-sword user said with a smirk, before turning to Luffy. "No objections, right, captain?"

The straw hatted teen stared at him, confused. "Uh, sure, Zoro."

Zoro's smirk grew into a satisfied grin as he pulled out all three of his katanas and readied himself for the fight.

Jango gritted his teeth. "Fine! I'll deal with you myself!" he declared while pulling out a chakram. "Look at this. After I say '1, 2, Jango!' all three of you will fall asleep," he instructed, swinging the ring on the string like a pendulum. "1… 2… Jan–"

"Oni Giri!" Zoro cut off his opponent by unleashing an attack on him. The pirates gasped in horror as their captain fell down, blood splattering from his wounds. The swordsman took the blade out from his mouth and faced Luffy with a wide grin. "And with this," he pointed a katana at him, "I have eighteen."

Slowly the realization dawned on Luffy, and his eyes widened. "WHAT?! No way! It's not fair!"

"Our bet is a draw now," Zoro claimed, grinning at him smugly.

Nami couldn't hold in her laughter after seeing Luffy's dumbfounded expression.

"You cheater!" the teen hissed. He snapped his head to the nearest pirate, causing him to flinch in fear.

The knuckles planted themselves in the poor bastard's mug, sending him flying. He crashed into his friend, standing right behind him, and flung them both across the shore.

"See?" Luffy pointed at the beaten men. "Now I have twenty!"

"No, Luffy," Zoro shook his head, "you can't count them twice."

The straw hatted captain bended his brows in discontent. "Why not?!"

"Sorry to tell you, Luffy," the navigator said, finally able to catch her breath after her fit of laughing, "but Zoro has a point. You already defeated them before."

The teen crossed his arms in front of him in a childish pout. Nami chuckled again, and the swordsman broke into a victorious smile. Even if he didn't actually win it still felt good to end the bet as a draw.

* * *

Usopp watched the exchange between the pirates and the three teenagers with an open mouth from shock. As he understood it, they were responsible for the current condition of that crew. Whatever their quarrel was about, the sharpshooter was glad that the strange trio appeared at such a convenient moment.

Usopp was so absorbed into observing what was happening on the shore that he failed to notice the presence coming at him from behind.

"It's been pretty long since dawn, I was wondering why the plan wasn't carried out…"

The liar almost jumped out of his skin when he heard a voice right behind his back. He leapt to the side and gulped nervously as his eyes locked on the man in the black suit.

"Klahadore…" Usopp whispered in terror.

Kuro sneered at him, adjusting his glasses with his palm, before looking down on the people at the beach. Several veins popped on his forehead, and he couldn't hold in the rage building up inside of him. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

It drew the attention of every person present as they turned to look at the tall man on the top of the slope. Already scared out of their minds, the pirates suddenly plunged into a total panic. Their eyes darted between the newcomer, the straw hatted kid, his companions, and back to their former captain.

"Cap… Cap… Captain Kuro!" wheezed out one of them.

"We… We're done for now!" another wailed.

Luffy frowned while staring at the new person. It was quite rare that he took an instant dislike to anyone. But this man had such a dark, sinister presence that the teen marked him as his enemy the moment he laid eyes on him.

"The Black Cat pirates have been reduced to a truly sad state…" Kuro remarked, glancing over his terrified, beaten looking crewmembers. His eyes fell on Jango's body, and he scowled. After pushing his glasses up with his palm, the pirate captain shifted his gaze to the three unknown kids. "You were the ones who took them down, I take it?"

"That's right!" Luffy replied.

Kuro focused on the straw hatted boy. "Who are you? What's your business here?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" the teen introduced himself, smiling. "We're pirates who just landed here."

Usopp gasped. So these strangers were pirates! This situation was getting worse by the minute. His shoulders dropped. There was no way he could deal with two groups of pirates, especially with that bastard butler present.

"Pirates..?" Kuro repeated. He glanced over the Black Cat crew, frowning in thought. His plan got completely ruined. His men were defeated, those still standing could hardly do anything against a group of villagers. The most important figure in his long three year scheme was also taken out. There was no other choice now but to scare Kaya and force her to write the will, but how to make the attack on the village happen?

The former pirate captain smirked slyly as all the details in his newly changed plan clicked into place. He adjusted his glasses, and addressed the straw hatted kid again. "I would like to make a deal with you," Kuro proposed. "If you and your pawns could ransack the village on this island, I would reward you."

Luffy's smile faltered. "My pawns…?" he repeated, glaring at the man, but only loud enough for his two nakama to hear. "I don't like him," he finally admitted.

Nami and Zoro smiled at his words and nodded in agreement.

"Captain Kuro!" called one of the pirates. "But what about us?! Aren't we suppose to attack the village?!"

Kuro snorted. "You fools are expendable," he replied calmly, putting his bag on the ground and pulling out the strange gloves with long blades attached to every finger. "I will exterminate all of you. As long as your bodies are here, I can prove my innocence."

"Don't joke around like that, captain Kuro!" someone pleaded.

"We can still attack the village!" another insisted.

Luffy fixed his hat more firmly on his head. Before he could yell to shove his offer where the sun doesn't shine, he felt one more person rushing towards the man in the suit.

"KAYA!" Usopp screamed, pushing the girl away and jumping in front of the descending glove blades when Kuro spun around and slashed at the possible assailant.

The liar winced as the claws slid over his arm, but he held in the urge to scream in pain. Getting Kaya away from here was more important. He looked at the girl who was shaking from the near death experience and staring at her ex-butler with wide eyes full of terror. Kuro glared at her, pushing his glasses up in his usual manner.

"Kaya, why are you here?!" Usopp demanded, holding his hurt arm and trying to stop the bleeding.

The girl shifted her gaze onto him, then down to the blood seeping from his wound. Her already pale complexion blanched even more, and she put a hand over her mouth. Tears collected in her eyes. "Usopp-san…" the young mistress squeaked out. "I'm sorry, Usopp-san! We treated you so badly, and yet you're–"

"That doesn't matter now!" the sharpshooter interrupted. "Why did you come here? I told you to run away! He wants to kill you, Kaya!"

"But, aren't you fighting?!" Kaya shouted helplessly.

"We're different! I'm the son of a pirate, a brave warrior of the sea!"

"KLAHADORE!" the girl yelled at the pirate in front of her. "If you want my money, I'll give it all to you! So just leave this village! Please!"

"You surprise me, Ojou-sama," Kuro admitted. "How do you know about that?"

"Merry told me everything."

"Oh, so he didn't die?" the pirate noted. "I didn't show any mercy to him."

Kaya bit her lip, trying to stop the tears from spilling out. This man wasn't the Klahadore she knew. He couldn't be the same gentle and attentive caretaker she loved. This man was a pirate, an unmerciful killer who wanted nothing more but to take hers and the villagers' lives.

"But you're wrong, Ojou-sama," Kuro continued after adjusting his glasses. "It's not only money I'm after. What I desire is the tranquility of my soul."

"Kaya, just run!" Usopp shouted. "He's not the butler you know!"

The blonde winced from his words, then bit her lip again and with trembling hands pulled out a pistol, pointing it at Klahadore. "Leave this village!" she ordered with a shaky voice.

"Oh, you've grown a lot these past three years, Ojou-sama. Do you still remember? A lot has happened in"-

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Usopp suddenly roared, jumping to his feet. He grabbed the pistol from Kaya, instantly pointed it at the butler and pulled the trigger.

"Usopp-kun," the cold voice rang from behind, and the long-nosed teen flinched, still staring at the empty spot where just a split second ago Kuro had been standing.

Blades surrounded his head. A chill ran down his spine as Usopp realized that he would be killed now for sure.

"You really shouldn't interfere when I'm speaking," Kuro commented with a cold-blooded smile on his face. He narrowed his claw's grip…

A fist smashed into Kuro's face, sending him backwards and onto the ground. The moment after, a joyful laughter resounded from the shore.

Luffy's arm snapped back, and he turned to Zoro with a face-splitting grin. "NINETEEN!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

The swordsman blinked. Nami burst into laughter. Even if she thought that this whole situation wasn't funny at all, the pure happiness on Luffy's face was really contagious. Not to mention the completely dumbfounded expression of Zoro.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" the three-sword user protested. "Can we even count that man for our bet?!"

"Sure, we can!" Luffy affirmed. He looked at the nearest pirate and asked him the question, "He's your captain, isn't he?"

"Y-yeah… Sort of…"

The straw hatted teen grinned at his swordsman again. Everyone could practically see stars twinkling around him from his absolute confidence.

Zoro groaned, palming his face. "Damn…" he cursed quietly.

Luffy turned to look up at the top of the slope, a slight frown marring his face. The man in the suit was standing tall and glaring at them.

Kuro seethed at Usopp, suddenly lifting his leg and kicking him hard in the stomach. The long-nosed teen yelped, skidding along the slope and finally stopping in the middle. Kaya gasped, but she couldn't muster even an ounce of strength to do anything.

"I guess you're not just playing pirates, like this trash." Kuro sneered at the trio.

"Don't talk about Usopp-san like that!" Kaya cried out.

"Ojou-sama," the man addressed her softly, but then his eyes hardened and a chilly chuckle escaped his mouth. "I will take care of you after them, so be patient."

Usopp managed to lift himself off the ground. He staggered a bit, calling all of his will not to drop down. "I'll not allow you to touch Kaya, you bastard!" he proclaimed. "Even if I'm no match for you… I'll… I'll protect her! I'll protect them all!"

"Oh, you speak such brave words despite being the son of a filthy pirate who abandoned your family, leaving you to play make-believe with a bunch of kids."

"Don't insult my father!"

"Hmph," Kuro dismissed him, looking back at the straw hatted kid. "I'm a bit curious… That was quite an odd attack you just used. Looks like you possess the power of a Devil Fruit."

Luffy's frown deepened. "You should be down," he stated, deeply annoyed. "I can't count you if you're not down."

"What are you talking about?" the enemy captain asked, confused. "Never mind," he added, while pushing his glasses up. The glass crackled and crumbled from the frame, causing Kuro's face to screw with malice. He moved his arms to the side, spreading his blades. "I'll just deal with you quickly!"

There was a puff of dust, and Kuro was gone from his spot. Everyone widened their eyes from surprise. On the contrary, Luffy narrowed his eyes. That was interesting. He swayed to the side, eluding an attack from behind, and smirked at his opponent.

"That was a neat way to move," the straw hatted teen commended. "Can you show it one more time?"

"You insolent fool…!" growled Kuro, ignoring how easily the kid avoided his blow. "Fine! Let me show you the terror of a real pirate!"

He seemingly vanished from the sight again. This time Luffy closely watched his footwork. That was definitely similar to a technique he had witnessed in the past. In _that_ place. He remembered its user very clearly now. After all, if not for Luffy's mystery power, that guy would have killed him. The rubber boy even tried to copy his movements, but he was too weak at that time for it to work.

Now he was different.

A smile spread across the straw hatted captain's face, when he moved his body just enough not to be scraped by the claw's slash. He promptly threw a spinning back fist, knocking Kuro onto the ground once again.

"Real pirate, huh?" Luffy taunted. "Honestly, I don't think you know what a true pirate is supposed to be. That guy," he pointed at Usopp, startling him, "has more guts than you."

The enemy captain hauled himself up. "Are you saying that I'm inferior to that 'captain' in a childish pirate game?" he inquired, glaring at the straw hatted kid in front of him.

"Shishishishi, I guess I'm saying exactly that."

Unexpectedly, Kuro burst into laughter. "You're so stupid!" he exclaimed. "Don't get cocky just because you landed a couple of hits!"

"At least I landed a couple, you haven't done even that much," the boy countered, goofy grin plastered on his face.

The man glared at Luffy, baring his teeth in rage, but then he smiled and fixed his hair with his palms, calming himself down. "I'll show you, puny ant," he said in a dangerously low voice, lowering his hands and his head, "the terror of the pirate who's been at the brink of death and survived!"

"WAAAAH! That stance!" a random pirate cried out.

"Don't tell me it's that special technique!"

"I'm pretty sure that's it!"

Zoro eyed the panicking men, then the slowly swaying captain. He also glanced at his own captain who had his eyes fixed on his opponent, but didn't seem too stressed about his odd behavior.

"Please, don't use that technique!"

"We'll do anything!"

Nami raised an eyebrow at the sudden chaos. "What are they talking about? He's just swaying there…"

"We're all going to die!"

Usopp looked at Kuro, then at his crew, then at the straw hatted boy, then at his two companions, then back at Kuro. He had no clue what might happen in the next minute.

Suddenly Kuro disappeared.

Nami gaped, Zoro frowned. Usopp gasped and ran up where Kaya was sitting on the ground. The rest of the crowd kept wailing and pleading him to stop.

Two pirates got knocked down with deep cuts across their bodies. Two pairs of slashes appeared on the rocks near Luffy.

"Zoro, protect Nami!" the straw hatted captain ordered, and the swordsman instantly fell into the defensive pose in front of their navigator with a katana at the ready. Luffy's eyes darted to the left and right as he followed Kuro soaring throughout the area, looking for an opportunity to stop him.

Two more pirates fell down as his victims. An invisible attack rammed into Zoro's sword. The swordsman groaned, pushing it away, but the force disappeared as quickly as it came.

Luffy smirked when the man finally swung at him in his blind dash. He jumped from the claws reach, stretched his arm after Kuro, grabbed him by his collar, and then flung the man over his shoulder and into the ground.

"Gotcha!" the teen grinned at Kuro. "You know, you fail as a captain," he said, his voice taking a serious tone. "A captain's duty is to protect his nakama, not harm them."

"Nakama? What's that?" Kuro chuckled, while standing up. "A pirate crew is just a bunch of random outcasts!"

"And that's why you fail not only as a captain, but as a pirate too," Luffy stated before flashing him a cheeky grin. "Also, you suck at your own movement technique."

"You…!" Kuro now was trembling from the inner rage. "I'LL ENJOY KILLING YOU!" he roared.

"Nope!" the rubber pirate popped 'p'. "Here, I'll show you how it's done efficiently."

Luffy put one hand on top of his straw hat to hold it in place… and vanished from sight, leaving only a small dust cloud in his previous spot. Kuro's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets from the force of the punch aimed right into his stomach. His body flew backwards and smashed into the cliff, destroying part of it in the process.

"And stay down!" the future Pirate King ordered. He turned around and grinned at his shocked nakama before exclaiming happily, "Nineteen!"

Zoro smiled. This kid was such an oddball. "Fine, captain, you won," he admitted with a sigh.

"YOSH-A!"

Nami laughed merrily from their antics. She couldn't even remember a day when she'd laughed so many times since Bellemere… Her smile faltered. It was all temporary. The thief couldn't get attached to these guys. She wasn't allowed to. Her nakama… No, this alliance–

"Nami, are you hurt?" asked Zoro, interrupting her line of thought.

The navigator looked at him. There was slight worry visible in his eyes. "No, no," she shook her head, and laughed it off. "I'm fine, thanks."

The swordsman stared at her for just a bit longer. "Alright then," he accepted.

"–and begone!" Luffy finished his speech to the Black Cat pirates with an authoritative shout. Then he shifted his attention to the long-nosed teen who was just standing at the top of the slope and gawking at them.

Feeling the eyes of the straw hatted pirate on him, Usopp winced. This kid was dangerous. He defeated Kuro so easily! Without a scratch on himself! "Kaya, can you stand up?" he asked of the girl behind him, watching the trio cautiously. "They are pirates, too. We need to get away from here."

"I'm sorry, Usopp-san…" blonde answered quietly after struggling to stand. "My legs… they just don't listen to me."

The sharpshooter clenched his teeth. The boy seemed younger than him, and kids were supposed to be simple-minded. He gripped his slingshot tighter. "I'm the great pirate captain Usopp!" he shouted, while striking a heroic pose. "It's best if you don't try to attack this village, because my 100 million men are not going to forgive you!"

All three pirates blinked at him.

"He can't be one of that creep's men, right?" Nami wondered in a hushed voice, so that the long-nosed teen wouldn't hear her. "With an outrageous lie like that."

"I doubt it," Zoro agreed.

Luffy smiled, amused. "Oh, so you desire a fight then?" he asked. "We're pirates! No one orders us around!"

Usopp cringed. That was not the reaction he'd tried to achieve. Summoning all the bravery he could muster, he stood his ground. "Don't underestimate me!" He aimed his slingshot at the black-haired kid. "Leave now!"

Luffy said nothing as he started walking up the slope towards him. His eyes were hidden under the shadow of the straw hat, the ominous smirk playing on his lips.

"What's he doing?" the navigator hissed to Zoro. "He doesn't plan to kill that boy, does he?"

The swordsman gave her an incredulous glance. "He's not serious, just playing," he explained. "Can't you tell?"

Nami stared at him for a moment then looked at Luffy. "No," she confessed. "Are you sure that you know him well enough after only a week?"

"Don't come closer!" yelled Usopp, not able to control his trembling legs anymore. He wanted to just bolt from here, but… The liar glanced at Kaya over his shoulder. The girl stared at the approaching pirate with eyes full of fear. "Damn…" he cursed under his breath. Turning back to face the black-haired boy, he shouted, "Or I'll make you stop!"

"So, make me," Luffy urged him, not faltering in his steps at all.

Usopp fired a barrage of pachinko balls, but the pirate captain sidestepped them all without any effort, not even slowing down.

Luffy's smirk grew into a wide grin. This guy was certainly worthy. Judging by this short performance, he was a good shot, but what mostly caught Luffy's attention was that he refused to leave his immobile friend and flee. Anyone could stand up against a weaker adversary, but only a really brave person had enough strength to face an opponent he couldn't hope to defeat, just so that he could protect others.

Usopp was shivering violently, sweat poured from him in a fountain as the straw hatted pirate stopped just a step away. That was it. The end of the great captain Uso–

"Join my crew!" Luffy proposed, showing the man in front of him his usual sunny grin.

Usopp blinked, feeling his jaw drop. "Huh?"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Smile of the White Sheep


	13. The Smile of the White Sheep

"Join my crew!" Luffy proposed, showing the man in front of him his usual sunny grin.

Usopp blinked, feeling his jaw drop. "Huh?"

"Do you have a dream?"

"Uh…" The liar was completely stumped by the random question, not to mention the pirate's overall attitude change. "Why do you want to know?"

Luffy placed a hand on his hat. "Everyone sets out to sea with their own dreams and goals. I aim to become the Pirate King!" he declared adamantly, his whole being radiating with steely determination and confidence.

Usopp was stunned. He was a liar, maybe not a very good one, but still, he could always tell when other people lied. This kid was not lying. The next Pirate King was standing before him, offering a place in his crew. "I-I want to become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp announced, all previous hesitation swept aside.

The rubber boy grinned. "The Pirate King could definitely use such a person on his ship! I'm Luffy, this is Zoro, and Nami," he motioned to his nakama who a moment ago had walked over to them.

The sharpshooter smirked cockily. "I'm Usopp, but you can call me the great captain Usopp!" he pointed at himself proudly.

"No," Zoro promptly declined. "There is only one person I'm willing to call 'captain' and he's standing right in front of you."

"I have to agree with Zoro on this," Nami admitted, eyeing the long-nosed teen up and down. "You don't strike me as captain material."

"Oi!" the liar huffed before whining, "You could call me captain sometimes at least..."

Luffy burst into laughter. Ah, his nakama were the best!

"W-why did you come to this island?" a shy voice from behind Usopp asked, and everyone looked at the blonde girl, still sitting on the ground.

"Ah, Kaya!" exclaimed Usopp, flailing his arms and wincing right after as the pain surged through his wounds.

"I'm sorry about Luffy, he doesn't know how scary he appears to outsiders sometimes," Nami apologized with a friendly smile, offering her hand to the young lady to help her stand up.

"Do I look scary sometimes?" the straw hatted teen asked the other two males.

"Yeah!" they both instantly replied in unison.

"Shishishishi!"

"Be serious, guys…" the thief sighed, after helping Kaya off the ground. "We're not here to attack a village or anything," she explained. "We came to this island to restock and maybe find a ship."

"You're looking for a ship?" Kaya asked.

"Yeah, we can't go to the Grand Line with the two small boats we have right now," the navigator told her.

"Maybe you have a ship to give us?" Luffy inquired, being all serious.

"You can't just ask people for such big things!" Nami scolded him, absent-mindedly swinging her hand to smack him over his head and missing when the teen leaned out of the way.

Kaya chuckled. "Luffy-san, Zoro-san, Nami-san and Usopp-san," she bowed gracefully before them. "Thank you all for saving this village, and me."

The rubber captain hummed. "It's not that I tried to do that, but you're welcome!"

"If you feel indebted to us," the thief smirked slyly, "you could gift us a ship."

"Oi, oi!" Usopp objected.

"You don't make any sense," Zoro grumbled. "Didn't you just tell Luffy not to ask for such things?"

"It's not the same!" Nami seemed offended. "What I'm asking is only a small token of gratitude!"

"Sounds the same to me…" the swordsman muttered.

Suddenly Luffy's stomach growled loudly, demanding food, and he smiled sheepishly.

"Let's go to my mansion for now," Kaya suggested. "Usopp-san, you need to bandage your arm, and I left Merry after Klahadore..." she trailed off, a sad expression creeping across her features.

"Kaya…" Usopp didn't know what to say to her. He was staring at the girl with worry written all over his face.

"Okay, let's go," Luffy agreed, breaking the sudden silence which had stretched between them. "But after that – food!"

* * *

Piiman and Ninjin were staring at the tree which was one of Usopp's many hiding places.

"He's not here either," Ninjin remarked.

"Where is the captain today?" wondered Piiman while looking around. "And where is Tamanegi?"

"He's probably still sleeping," the purple-haired boy said. "I'm worried about the captain. He wasn't like himself yesterday."

"I agree."

"WAAAAAAAH!" a cry suddenly rang in the distance, and both kids looked at the blonde boy with glasses, dashing madly at them while crying at the top of his lungs, "THIS IS BAD! THE PIRATES!"

"Why are you yelling, Tamanegi?" asked the green-haired boy.

"What's this about pirates?" Ninjin questioned.

Catching his breath, Tamanegi stopped in front of his friends. "I saw two boats on the southern part of the shore, and I went to investigate them. One of them has a black sail with the Jolly Roger! It's the symbol of Buggy's pirates!"

"You're lying!" both boys chorused.

"It's true!" exclaimed the blonde. "There are pirates somewhere on the island!"

All three kids fell silent for a moment, until they heard voices nearing them. They promptly jumped into the forest and hid in the bush.

"That's the captain!" Ninjin whispered as he spotted Usopp with three strangers walking along the path.

"What's he doing?" wondered Piiman.

"I have never seen those people before…" Tamanegi pointed out before paling. "They are probably the pirates!" he hissed to his friends.

"The captain is in danger!" the green-haired boy stirred, but Ninjin stopped him.

"Let's follow them for now, and see where they take the captain," he suggested.

Both boys nodded, determination burning in their eyes.

* * *

"Usopp…" Luffy tilted his head to one side. "Usopp…" He tilted his head to other side. "Usopp…" The rubber boy continued chanting the name of his newest crewmate and swaying his head in deep contemplation. "Usopp…"

The long-nosed teen grew more nervous every time the straw hatted pirate said his name. Even though this kid just invited him into his crew, and he kind of accepted the invitation, Usopp was aware that he was dealing with real pirates here. A real pirate captain probably ruled over his crew in a ruthless and brutal way.

"Usopp…" Briefly glancing at the bush further away from the path they were taking, Luffy continued, "Usopp…"

"Ahhhh! Stop it!" Nami was the first one to finally snap because of his chanting. "What are you doing, Luffy?!"

The rubber captain hummed, bending his eyebrows into an annoyed frown. "I can't remember where I heard that name."

"Huh? You heard my name somewhere?" the liar looked at him before grinning proudly. "Of course, you did! After all, I'm the great capt–"

"No, it was something else…" drawled Luffy. All that thinking was starting to give him a fever.

"Maybe you heard something similar," the navigator tried to help.

The black-haired teen face lit up after some more struggling to remember. "Oh! That's it!" He flashed a bright grin at his nakama. "Nami, you're so smart!"

The thief smiled back at him, glad that he would stop his irritating chanting now.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled, turning at the long-nosed teen and once again startling him. "You're Yasopp's kid, aren't you?"

The sharpshooter almost tripped over on the flat path from hearing his question. He gawked at the grinning rubber boy in shock. "H-how do you know that?"

"I've known him since I was a kid!"

"Really? You know my dad?"

"Yup," Luffy nodded before closing his eyes as memories from the time spent with Yasopp and the rest of the gang flashed through his mind. "Yasopp's shooting skills are the best! He never misses anything within his range!"

A slight blush dyed Usopp's cheeks like it was him who Luffy had praised. He felt pride welling inside of his chest. His dad was a hero to him!

"Is your father a pirate too?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah!" Usopp confirmed without any hesitation, smiling happily. "Even though he left me for the sea, I'm always proud of my dad!"

"Yasopp is a great pirate!" Luffy exclaimed, excited. "He's one of the Red-Haired Shanks' nakama, and Shanks is an amazing pirate!"

"So he's on that Red-Haired Shanks' ship huh…" the liar drawled while looking into the distance, thinking about his dad chasing his dreams on the far away oceans right at this moment. Suddenly he blinked, turning at the grinning straw hatted boy. "You mean Shanks..? SHANKS THE RED-HAIRED?!"

Zoro scratched his head. Where had he heard that name? Nami was listening to the conversation wondering what connection Luffy had with that Shanks person.

"Shishishishi!" the rubber teen chuckled. "That's right, Usopp! Your dad is on the Yonko's ship!"

"Yonko?!" both Zoro and Nami exclaimed at the same time.

"How do you know such a pirate, Luffy?" the swordsman inquired cautiously.

The boy brushed over his straw hat's rim, and a melancholic smile tugged the edges of his lips. "He saved my life and gave me this hat," he finally replied. "Shanks was the first one who inspired me to go on this journey."

The thief stared at the straw hat before asking, "Is that why you care about it so much?"

Luffy's smile faltered. He clutched the hat's rim with both hands and pulled it down harder, like he was afraid that it would fly away at any moment. "It's… very important to me," he uttered in a hushed voice.

Zoro glanced at his captain, remembering that episode after the nightmare he had the first night they sailed together. The hat actually helped the kid to calm down and come back to his senses. It was probably somehow connected to whatever happened to him, but the swordsman wasn't sure he wanted to hear about it. Every sign showed that Luffy's past was far from pretty.

Nami suddenly felt guilty for asking her question, she definitely didn't like the sight of Luffy cringing and clinging to his hat with apparent desperation. He was always so confident, strong and reliable. Now the boy looked scared, but of what, the navigator couldn't tell. She wanted him to smile brightly again, the way he always did.

Usopp was really confused. The straw hatted teen was a strange person, even more so if you took into consideration that he was a pirate at such a young age. A very strong pirate captain, at that. But now while staring at him, the sharpshooter couldn't see more than just a kid who needed some comfort and be protected from the hostility of the world.

"The tavern is just around the corner, guys!"

"Luffy, we're almost at the place where we can get food."

"You haven't forgotten that I'm paying for your food, captain? So you can get as much as you want."

All three of them suddenly started to speak at the same time, trying to cheer up the smallest one among their group. Luffy lifted his head. His companions were watching him closely, worry and concern visible on their faces. The rubber boy tugged his straw hat down again, but this time he couldn't fight the relieved, happy smile growing on his face. He wasn't alone anymore. He had trustworthy nakama by his side!

* * *

Nami felt tricked, conned, deceived and defrauded. All at the same time.

The group was sitting around the table in the local tavern where Usopp had led them to have a dinner.

The thief one more time eyed the pile of empty plates towering her, and had to gulp down the urge to bang her head on the table. She looked Luffy up and down. Where the hell had all that food gone?! And why did he never eat so much while in the open sea? If he did, they would certainly go out of food in a day.

Her gaze shifted to the swordsman, sitting next to her. His tower of plates wasn't that impressive, but the number of empty bottles on his side of the table would have put to shame even the heaviest drinker. Scratch that. Bunch of drinkers.

Nami groaned and actually hit the table with her head. "I knew it…" she mumbled, resting her forehead on the table. "I knew there was a catch in this deal."

"Hm?" Luffy swallowed another bite from the meat chunk in his hand. "What's wrong, Nami?"

The navigator clenched her teeth, slammed her fists on the table, and straightened up, glowering at the straw hatted pirate. "You tricked me!" she yelled. "My deal to pay for your food," she pointed at the tower of plates, "and booze..!" she waived at the empty bottles. "I-I had no idea you two can eat and drink this much!"

"I told you that I can eat a lot!" Luffy grinned at her, causing Nami to scowl.

"And I told you that I can drink a lot," Zoro added, not paying attention that his words made the thief's eyebrow twitch.

Yeah, Nami remembered clearly that they'd said that, but… she glanced over the plates and bottles once again, and banged her head back down on the table with a pained sigh. She couldn't go back on her word, but right now she would have to spend half of her money just to satiate these two monsters every time they visited a place to eat.

"What kind of deal are you talking about?" Usopp asked, curious about the despair radiating from the orange-haired girl.

"When we first met we made a deal with Nami: she can have all the treasure we find, but she pays for our food and drinks," Luffy explained, throwing another steak into his mouth.

"Yeah, now half of that treasure will go to just feeding you…" the navigator whined meekly.

"Shishishishi!"

* * *

Ninjin, Piiman and Tamanegi dashed through the empty area between two houses and flattened themselves against another house's wall. Ninjin peeked around the corner, scanning the remaining distance to the tavern. He gave the signal to the other two boys, and all three tiptoed towards their goal. They hid behind some barrels and formed a ring to decide their course of action.

"This is the place where the pirates brought our captain," Piiman summarized.

Tamanegi pulled out his wooden sword and clenched it, determined. "We must save him!"

"Real pirates are savages," Ninjin pointed out, also drawing his toy weapon. "They might have brought captain here to eat him."

"Idiot! It's onibaba who eats people!" the green-haired boy reprimanded his friend. He lifted his wooden sword in front of him, and the other two followed his lead. "This is going to be the most dangerous battle for the Usopp Pirate Crew! Everyone stay alert and ready!"

All three boys nodded and bumped their swords together, resolving themselves for the life or death battle to save their captain. With a final last glance between each other, they kicked the tavern's door open and stumbled inside. "The Usopp Pirate Crew is here!" they chorused.

The pirates looked at them from where they were sitting. Luffy raised an eyebrow, his mouth full of meat, preventing him from saying anything.

Nami stared at the boys. "What's going on?" she wondered.

"Usopp Crew?" Zoro mumbled under his nose, contently sipping the sake straight from the bottle.

"AH! The captain is not here!" yelled Ninjin, all color draining from his face.

"D-don't tell me… he was…" Tamanegi stuttered.

"Oi, pirates, what did you do to our captain Usopp?!" demanded Piiman, pointing his wooden sword at the enemies.

"Give us back our captain!" the other two pleaded.

Luffy swallowed the last bit of his food, patting his stomach in a blissful satisfaction. "That was some delicious meat!" he exclaimed happily.

Three pairs of frightened eyes fixed on him.

"M-meat..?"

"C-captain really was… eaten..?"

"No way..!"

Nami started chuckling, amused by the reaction of these kids.

Zoro placed his arm on the table and leaned on his palm. A sinister smirk appeared on his face as he stabbed one of the last meat cuts left with a fork and lifted it up to his mouth. "Your captain," he drawled, getting attention of the three boys, "was just eaten."

The children blanched, watching as the swordsman ripped the piece of meat in his hand in half and chewed it, grinning evilly. They eyes darted back at the straw hatted teen when he hummed loudly.

"Maybe I should eat some more?" Luffy asked nobody in particular while eyeing the kids up and down. He licked his lips, and a smile spread on his face.

The boys took a step back. "GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed at the top of their lungs. Their eyes bulged out, tears and snot splattering everywhere.

The pirates burst into laughter. That was quite a cruel joke, but neither of them regretted playing it on these kids. Their reaction was priceless.

Usopp suddenly ran over from somewhere at the back of the tavern, alarmed by the scream of doom. "What happened?!" he hastily questioned, and only then he noticed three boys lying on the floor, trying to catch their breath after literally screaming their lungs out. "Piiman, Ninjin, Tamanegi? Guys, what are you doing in here?"

The boys gawked at him for a while. "CAPTAIN!" all three shouted, jumping up and tackling him into a group hug.

"We thought you were gone!"

"The pirates said that they ate you!"

"We were so scared!"

Usopp was stunned. "Wha… What happened?" he asked. He never saw his pirate crew so frightened, and certainly hadn't expected to be hugged by them.

"Maybe you went a bit too far?" Nami whispered to her companions, feeling slightly guilty and worried about the children.

"Nah, it's fine," Luffy brushed her worry off, grinning. "It was just a joke, Usopp!"

The tavern's door opened again, this time more carefully as the blond girl came inside. Upon seeing the pirates, Kaya's face lit up. "Here you are!" she exclaimed, excited.

"Hey, ojou-sama!" Luffy flashed his usual sunny smile at her.

Kaya's eyes fell on Usopp and his younger friends who still refused to let him go, and she giggled, causing the long-nosed teen to blush.

"Come on, guys, let me go," he urged his crew. "You're the Usopp Pirate Crew! You shouldn't get scared that easily!"

The boys gasped, jumping from him and grinning. "Right, captain!" they chorused.

Kaya chuckled again then turned to Luffy and his nakama. "I have a surprise for you all. I hope that you would accept it openheartedly."

"A surprise? For us?" the straw hatted boy asked, tilting his head to the side. Nami and Zoro also stared at her, curious about what she had in mind.

"Yes, follow me, please."

"Oh, I will join you later," Usopp quickly said. "I need to talk to my crew before that."

Luffy smiled at him. "Okay, see you later, Usopp!" He waved his hand before following the young mistress out of the tavern.

* * *

"While not losing sight of our ambitions, swear that you will go on the road you have chosen!" Usopp shouted, standing proudly in front of his pirate crew. Tears started to gather in his eyes.

The boys nodded furiously, trying but failing to stop their tears from spilling out.

"Starting today the Usopp Pirate Crew…" the young sharpshooter swallowed hard, but held his head high. "…IS DISBANDED!"

* * *

Kaya was smiling with contentment while all three pirates were beaming with pure happiness from the sight of their surprise gift.

"Ohhh!" Zoro cheered, wide smile plastered on his face.

The ship with natural brown hull and white railings was peacefully swaying, anchored at the shore.

"A caravel!" Nami rejoiced, jumping from excitement.

The sails were singing as the wind brushed through them, while flags lazily fluttered in the breeze.

"WOOOOW!" Luffy shouted in awe.

The white sheep figurehead with swirly horns was softly smiling at the three young pirates who'd soon sail it to the faraway seas of adventure, chasing after their dreams.

"It is somewhat old-fashioned, but I designed it myself," the man who they met at Kaya's mansion spoke to them. "I call it Going Merry!"

"Going Merry…" Luffy repeated, before breaking into huge, sunny grin. "One more nakama!"

"I will explain the steering system," the ship's designer smiled softly at the hatted boy, happy that he liked the vessel. "First of all, in order to–"

"Ah, you can explain all that to Nami," Luffy interrupted him. "I don't think I would understand any of it, and she's our navigator!"

Nami nodded. "I'll listen to the explanation."

"I'll go find Usopp in the meantime."

* * *

Luffy was laughing joyfully while carrying Usopp's enormous bag without any effort. "How did you plan to reach the shore if I hadn't come to get you?" he asked.

The long-nosed teen puffed his chest. "I could carry it myself!" he claimed. "But I'm not in the mood right now."

The rubber boy laughed again. They reached the shore where Going Merry was anchored. Zoro was already napping on the ship, leaning on its railings. Nami was chatting with Kaya who waved her hand once she spotted both boys coming down the slope.

"So, you're going to the sea, Usopp-san?" the blond girl inquired.

"Yeah, I'm going as a member of Luffy's crew," he confirmed. "Please, don't stop me."

Luffy easily jumped onto the ship with Usopp's bag. Nami climbed the rope ladder right after him.

"Oh, you're back?" Zoro mumbled groggily, before yawning.

"Yep!" Luffy grinned at his nakama, dropped the bag, and leaned on the railings to watch Usopp and Kaya saying their goodbyes.

"I look forward to that!" the blonde smiled shyly at the sharpshooter. He smiled back and turned to climb onto the ship.

"Not going to kiss her?" Luffy suddenly asked.

Nami blinked at him. Zoro snapped fully awake. Usopp almost slipped from the ladder, and Kaya blushed.

Luffy frowned, confused by their strange reactions. "Shanks always kissed Makino when he left the village," he recalled. "I thought it was a normal way to say goodbye to a female." His frown deepened than Zoro burst into laughter, Nami facepalmed, and Kaya's blush intensified.

"L-Luffy, that's…" Usopp stuttered, but didn't know how to explain that it wasn't actually that normal.

"I kissed Makino and Dadan on the cheeks when I left," Luffy said, scratching his head in confusion. "Maybe that's why Dadan fainted… Makino was really happy though."

"We really should go!" Nami suddenly exclaimed, breaking the awkwardness which started to build up among them. "Thank you again for the ship, Kaya!"

The blonde cleared her throat, smiled and waved. "Have a safe trip everyone!"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** The Scar of the Past


	14. The Scar of the Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied suicide/suicide attempt (nothing graphic).

"To a new ship and a new nakama!" Luffy shouted mirthfully, lifting his mug of rum.

"CHEERS!" the others responded eagerly, mirroring his gesture and also lifting their mugs.

The newly formed pirate crew clanged mugs together and downed their drinks, at the same time laughing joyfully. The new ship, Going Merry, was gracefully soaring through the sea, carrying the pirates to their new destination and adventures.

"Now that we have a ship and four people in total, we can raise our pirate flag!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Do you know already what our Jolly Roger will be?" Usopp asked.

The rubber boy smirked. "Of course, I do! Wait a minute, I saw some cloth and paint when I was looking around earlier." He bolted to the storage room and returned with several paint buckets and black cloth tucked under his arm. "Alright, here we go," Luffy said, laying the black flag on the floor.

Usopp, Nami, and Zoro leaned closer when the captain dipped the brush into the paint and started painting. He quickly stroked across the cloth, sticking his tongue out in great concentration. But with every line the faces of the three pirates grew more concerned.

"Maybe it's some kind of abstract art...?" Nami quietly wondered.

Luffy finished his masterpiece with a bright grin. "It's done!" he yelled proudly. "What do you think?"

His crew dumbly stared at the warped white skull with a lop-sided straw hat on its top.

"That's our mark?" Zoro asked with disbelief. "The pirate's flag is a symbol of death and terror, but this…"

"It's… uh, unique?" Usopp suggested.

The thief shrugged. "It sure is terrifying in some sense."

The captain frowned and looked at the Jolly Roger he just made. He didn't see anything bad about it. Even before he went to the sea, Luffy put a lot of thought into what kind of symbol he wanted to sail under.

"Don't worry, Luffy, this genius painter will come to your aid," the sharpshooter boasted, pointing at himself and getting several skeptical glances. "I've honed my artistic talents by drawing on the walls of people's homes for years." He urged the black-haired boy to step aside and took his place in front of the new black cloth.

After some time, the flag was finished and the liar grinned proudly. "There we go!" Usopp would have never thought that he'll leave his home village so soon. Just a day ago, he was simply a kid. As much as he boasted about being a pirate, the sharpshooter realized that it was just it—boasting. But looking at his own handiwork, a sudden apprehension that now he would sail under this Jolly Roger in pursuit of his own dream as a true pirate dawned on Usopp, causing his smile to grow even more.

"Oh, it's perfect!" Nami cheered. She was genuinely happy. The navigator really tried not to like these guys, not to get attached to them, but it was getting harder and harder to do with every passing hour. It seemed like that grinning skull with a straw hat overshadowed Arlong's mark on her shoulder, and Nami felt at ease and safe around these pirates, under this specific Jolly Roger.

"Eh, so this is our mark from now on?" the swordsman also smiled, looking at the straw-hatted skull. He still hardly believed that he really called a strange kid who popped out of nowhere his captain and became a pirate. But Zoro didn't have any regrets about his decision. He was confident about traveling next to the future Pirate King. After all, following the person whose ambition was even bigger than his own was bound to throw them into mayhem and against the strongest in this world.

Luffy patted the long-nosed teen on his back. "Good job, Usopp! Now paint this on the sail too!" he ordered excitedly, but then paused. "Ah, but before that, can you paint it on this?" The boy untied his black bandana from his neck and spread it in front of Usopp, lifting his head in anticipation of an answer. Three pairs of wide, startled eyes met his gaze. Luffy frowned, confused, and when it clicked. He placed his hand on the neck's left side, hiding the scar from the view.

"Luffy, that's…" Nami started but suddenly felt the lack of words. She couldn't wrap her mind about how horrible the wound had been if it left that kind of scar.

Usopp nervously gulped. That kind of injury would be enough to kill an ordinary person. The sharpshooter shuddered from mere thought about somebody actually inflicting it on the straw-hatted boy.

"It's just a scar," Luffy said, averting his eyes from his nakama. It worked as a reminder for him, although the teen didn't really care that much about it, but he knew how other people reacted upon seeing it. "A simple scar," he insisted with a small, strained smile, "nothing for you to worry about."

Zoro stared at his captain's hand, covering the ugly scar from their eyes. Luffy didn't strike him as a person who would hide battle marks from other people. Maybe he wouldn't want to talk about how he got it, but the swordsman was sure that the boy wouldn't keep it hidden. He almost seemed ashamed of that particular scarring. _"If I ever feel my freedom threatened… I'd rather kill myself than lose it again."_

Zoro eyes widened when the realization hit him like a wall of bricks. "You did it to yourself, didn't you?!" The question came out of his mouth before he could stop it and much harsher than he'd intended.

Luffy bit his bottom lip but didn't deny the swordsman's words. Nami put a hand on her mouth in a silent horror. Her eyes were still glued to the spot on the rubber boy's neck, unable to get the image of the scar out of her mind.

"Zoro, what are you talking about?" Usopp showed a wry smile, trying to lighten a sudden grim atmosphere on the deck. "Why would Luffy—" The liar hadn't finished, because he was rendered completely speechless with one quiet word from the captain.

"Yeah."

* * *

_"Stay."_

_The stern order slowly sunk into the foggy mind of Luffy, and it took him a couple of minutes to fully understand it. The boy felt relief washing over his aching, tired, injured body and tortured mind. It was probably the first time he obeyed gladly. Luffy really couldn't do anything more at the moment, just staying still. Every move, despite how small it was, hurt, and the boy felt sick in his stomach, even though he couldn't remember the last time he was fed._

_The ground beneath his bare feet was swaying, and it made the struggle to keep standing more difficult. Luffy tore open his eyes, and with glazed gaze looked around. That's right, he was on the ship._ That person _took him on his voyage as a personal pet, but before that_ he _finally ordered to take out a bullet from the boy's shoulder, lodged there as a punishment for almost a week from his last fight._

 _If Luffy had more strength, he would have laughed from the memory of_ that person's _and slave handlers' expressions when he boldly refused to kill a defenseless child he was pitted against at that fight. For whatever reason, he couldn't do it, even though Luffy had been forced to do it countless times before. Maybe he just finally lost his mind completely. Maybe because the black-haired, freckled child reminded him of Ace._

_Luffy wondered if Ace still remembered him. Probably not. If he did, he would have come to take his brother away from this hell already. Maybe Luffy did something unforgivable, and that was a reason why neither Ace nor Sabo came for him. He was always such a loud, stupid and weak brat, always eating too much, sleeping too long, unable to keep his mouth shut or protect himself…_

_Maybe his existence really was a sin like_ they _had been telling him from the moment he told_ them _his name._

_Monkey D. Luffy._

_D._

_He really shouldn't have told_ them _his name._

 _Suddenly the ship jerked to the side, and Luffy was thrown from his standing spot into the mast. He gulped down the moan which wanted to rip away from his throat. It was a long time ago that the boy learned not to entertain_ them _by openly showing pain, discomfort or despair._

_Luffy heard urgent shouts, warning yells all around him, but because of his clouded consciousness, he couldn't make out the words. Lots of people were running on the deck, their every step interflowing into a united cacophony of sounds: voices, waves, wind, distant beast's roar…_

_A small, almost invisible smile appeared on Luffy's face. He remembered Makino singing while they walked on the beach, waves washing his bare feet, seagulls squealing above his head, warm wind ruffling his hair, and—_

_"What is going on?"_

_A voice next to him made Luffy flinch, his smile vanishing instantly._

_"Saint Kenjord, it's not safe here, you should go inside!"_

_"Are you ordering me what to do?!"_

_"No, Sir, I-I am sorry…"_

_A deafening roar rang somewhere nearby, followed by a bunch of terrified screams. The ship violently jerked to the side again, causing Luffy stumble forward and fell down on the deck. He shook his head, lifted his eyes up and gasped._

_A huge, magnificent creature towered over the vessel, snarling and baring its teeth at the panicking people on the deck. The Sea King roared again, its tail rising from the depth of the ocean on the other side of the ship. It swished in the air aggressively and suddenly whipped down at it._

_Luffy slid across the deck when the ship shook. Fortunately, he bumped into something and stopped. Rapidly blinking, the boy tried to comprehend what was happening around him._

_"Oh, you ugly, wretched little trash!"_

_Luffy shivered from a venomous growl right next to his ear. He turned his head to look behind at what stopped his slide, and his eyes widened, immediately filled up with overwhelming terror._ That person _!_

_"How dare you touch me, you dirty scum of D?!" Saint Kenjord bellowed, standing up and yanking the boy from the ground by his sea stone collar. "I should have killed you years ago, be grateful to have been left alive till now! I'll show you, nasty, vile thing, how to disrespect me!" He threw Luffy across the deck towards the bow of the ship, from where people were fleeing the rampaging Sea King._

_Luffy slipped on the wet floor and tumbled down, skidding forward right into the beast's line of sight. The Sea King growled and dipped his head down, opening his mouth and revealing a line of sharp teeth._

_The boy's body froze from fear, the mind shutting down completely with only one thought going in circles: 'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! I don't want to die!'_

_" **NOOOOOOOOO!** "_

_Luffy's scream sliced through the roar of the Sea King and yells of the people. A wave of power rolled from the boy and blasted across the surroundings like an invisible explosion._

_An absolute silence set in for a split second. Even wind stilled._

_Then a bunch of thumps resounded all over the ship. With an enormous splash of water, the Sea King divided back into the depth of the ocean._

_Luffy inhaled a ragged, shaky breath, unable to suppress his entire body from shaking, and tears from silently sliding over his cheeks. He glanced around. The Sea King was gone, all the people on the ship lay sprawled on the deck, apparently unconscious or dead, the boy wasn't sure. The wind was picking up again, and the only sounds were it blowing into the sails and the occasional creak from the ship._

_After some struggle, Luffy stood up. He was so tired. All he wanted right now was to curl into the smallest ball and sleep. Mustering the strength, the boy walked to the nearest person. For a while, he just stood there staring at the body, then reached and tentatively shook it. There was no reaction. He repeated his action with another person but got the same result._

_When the third man hadn't shown any sign of awareness, with trembling hands Luffy carefully pulled his sword from its scabbard. The slaves weren't allowed to wield weapons outside the arena, it was punishable by severe whipping or even death. Luffy didn't care anymore. He would rather die than go back to that kind of life._

_While he was trying to cross the ship towards the escape boats, Luffy's limbs almost completely stopped functioning, refusing to move even an inch further. Without any other choice, the boy crawled in between two boxes and hid behind the third one. He curled into a small ball with a sword tightly clutched in his hand and dozed off._

_Luffy got dragged from his nightmares by a screeching noise like someone was pushing the box from its spot. His body tensed up as he opened his eyes and saw that that was exactly what was happening._

_"Found him!" someone yelled, once the box was moved to the side, revealing a scared and heavily disoriented child._

_Another man joined the first one to stare at the cornered boy. Luffy's exhausted mind couldn't understand what was happening. He observed the man crouch down with a hand stretched towards him. Soon he'd grab him, drag him back to that person and his life would go back to the previous hell._

_Luffy was not going back there. The solution was simple—he would better die free from his own hands than get killed as a slave by those monsters._

_"You're not going to have me…" Luffy whispered. He lifted a blade and touched the left side of his neck, right beneath the sea stone collar. As he jerked the sword down, not even wincing from a sudden pain and a fountain of blood, Luffy could swear he heard a worried shout from the stranger._

_"No, Luffy, STOP!"_

* * *

Luffy stared at the faraway horizon, looking distant and detached from the surrounding world, dark emotions flashing through his eyes as memories of his rescue day played in his mind.

The crew of three observed him, worry boiling under their skin. None of them really saw their captain being so gloomy and distant before, sad or thoughtful, yeah, but not this. The idea that Luffy—their cheerful, happy-go-lucky and carefree captain—tried to _kill_ himself hadn't sunk fully in either of their minds.

"It was…" Luffy started but didn't know how to say it without giving his nakama unnecessary details. He brushed fingers over the rim of his straw hat and sighed. "I was not in my right mind. I didn't know what was happening around me, that those people tried to help, not hurt me. I felt… cornered."

That was a very vague explanation, not at all clarifying why Luffy decided to slice his own throat.

Usopp almost jumped out of his skin when Zoro's hand landed on his shoulder. He glanced at the swordsman and blinked confused as the man motioned at the bandana still spread in front of him.

"You should finish painting," Zoro said, fixing the sharpshooter with a sharp gaze.

"Um… Yeah, that's… that's brilliant idea!" Usopp agreed, forcing a smile on his lips.

As the liar grabbed the brush to paint a straw-hatted Jolly Roger on Luffy's bandana, the swordsman turned to their navigator. "Nami, are we on the right course?"

Nami finally tore her eyes from Luffy's hand, hiding the scar, and focused on her green-haired nakama. "What?"

"Our course. Are we still on course?" Zoro repeated, patiently.

"Oh." The navigator glanced at the sun's position, then at Merry's sails, taking note of the wind's direction. "Yeah, I think we're still on the right course, although I need to check maps and plan it further."

While Nami talked, Luffy stood up from where he was sitting and quietly walked away. Zoro, Nami, and Usopp observed him jumping on the figurehead and sitting there cross-legged.

None of them mentioned Zoro's subtle intervention, allowing Luffy to retreat from being questioned more, because none of them were sure if they really wanted to question him further.

* * *

"Alright, it's done!" Usopp shouted proudly as he untied the rope from his waist and eyed the sails with a huge, straw-hatted Jolly Roger on. The black flags freely fluttered in the wind. Going Merry was now fully ready for action as a pirate vessel!

But the mood on the ship was still grim, to say the least. Luffy hadn't moved from his position on the figurehead, not even sparing a glance for whatever was happening behind him. Zoro was lounging against the main mast and, judging by the quite snores, he was sleeping without a care in the world. Nami got herself buried under the mountain of maps, studying each of them with the professional dedication.

Usopp's smile faltered and he heaved a heavy sigh. If the situation wasn't remedied, this journey would become unbearably awkward. He smirked. Lucky for these bastards, they now had the awesome captain Usopp in their midst!

The sharpshooter put the brush away, picked up the black bandana with Jolly Roger on it, and strolled to the ship's front. The paint was already dried, and if Luffy tied it back on his neck, he should cheer up.

"Luffy," Usopp called, getting the young captain's attention as he turned to look at the sharpshooter, "your bandana."

The straw-hatted teen took the bandana, unfurled it for a moment to see the mark. "Good job, Usopp," he praised before tying it back around his neck. Finally, that scar was hidden again, and Luffy felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. Maybe it did bother him much more than he assumed. "Thank you."

Usopp broke into a cocky smirk. "There is nothing this genius painter couldn't paint!" he boasted, puffing his chest and cocking his nose. "Just look at Merry's sails!"

Luffy glanced at the sails, and couldn't fight the grin which grew on his face. "Whoa, it's amazing, Usopp!"

"Heh, you've seen nothing till you see my true talent," the liar bragged further.

"What is that?"

"I'm the Great Champion of the hide-and-seek! Nobody—and when I say nobody, I really mean no one on this mortal plain—can compete with me in hide-and-seek game!"

Luffy's jaw dropped. "The Great Champion?!" he exclaimed in awe.

Usopp nodded. "Aaaaaaand…" he drawled the word dramatically for the bigger effect, "this Greatest Champion is inviting you to the hide-and-seek duel!"

The rubber boy leaped from his spot on the sheep's head and grinned happily at his nakama. "Alright, let's do it!"

Usopp insisted on being the first one to hide, and Luffy to seek him out. The problem was that Luffy was so used to his mystery power, that he didn't know how to turn it off. So once he was done the counting, the teen strolled right into storage room and barrel where Usopp had hidden.

"I found you!"

The sharpshooter frowned. "No, no, that was just the first try. I was testing you," he insisted. "Now I'm gonna hide for real!"

And so Usopp hid and was found again as easily as the first time. He hid for the third time. Luffy found him again. Slowly, their hide-and-seek game grew into a tag game, as the long-nosed teen vainly tried his hardest to avoid and hide from his captain.

Usopp was sneaking across the main deck when suddenly rubber arms winded around his torso. "Shishishishi! I found you again!" Luffy exclaimed, slamming into his nakama's back as his arms snapped back.

The liar staggered forward with a yelp. His foot got caught by Zoro's leg, and he stumbled down on him together with laughing Luffy on top.

The swordsman groaned under them. "The hell are you two doing?!" he yelled in anger.

"Playing hide-and-seek!" Luffy informed with a usual sunny grin in place, unwinding his arms from the sharpshooter and standing up.

Zoro pushed squished Usopp off of him, sat up and scratched the back of his head. "With you seeking?"

"Yep!"

The swordsman promptly burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his eyes started to tear up.

"What's so funny?" Usopp asked, glaring at him.

Zoro brushed the tears out of his eyes. "You tried to play hide-and-seek with Luffy seeking?" he asked for confirmation.

"Yeah, and he's so good at…" the liar trailed off as Zoro burst into laughter again. "What's so funny?!" But he didn't get an answer. Usopp glanced at Luffy who just shrugged before he looked back at the swordsman. "STOP LAUGHING!"

* * *

Nami put a water to boil for a tea. Going Merry was anchored for the night, and it was her turn to do a night watch until early morning, so she wanted to drink something warm before the long hours up in a crow nest.

The thief looked behind her then she heard the door to the lounge area opening. Usopp entered first, closely followed by Zoro. Nami raised an eyebrow in question. It was already quite late, and she thought that the boys were already down in their room.

"So, what do you wanted to talk about, Usooooopp?" Zoro asked, failing to restrain a yawn at the end.

"Have you guys seen Luffy sleeping?"

Nami and Zoro blinked at him dumbly. "What do you mean?" the navigator carefully inquired.

"It's been a couple of days as we left Syrup Village," the sharpshooter started. "I haven't seen him sleeping longer than half an hour or so. Last night I stayed up, just to watch him. He was out like a light, but about a half an hour later he mumbled something, woke up and went outside where I found him in the morning."

Nami furrowed her brow in thought. Now that Usopp mentioned it, she couldn't recall seeing Luffy actually sleeping, not dozing off for a short nap.

"I don't think I've seen Luffy asleep since our first night on the sea," Zoro admitted, in unusual solemn tone. "He had a nightmare."

A silence settled down as all three pirates pondered on this new information.

"It's not healthy," Nami finally stated. "We need to make sure he gets a good night's sleep."

"Agreed," Usopp said, while Zoro just nodded.

* * *

Nami wrapped a blanket around herself more tightly, and leaned on the railing of a crow nest, fixing her gaze on the ocean. It was a calm night, only slight breeze ruffled her hair.

The boys were all sleeping down in their room. Luffy was quite reluctant, but he finally surrendered and agreed for a long night's sleep. Nami wondered how she hadn't noticed how really tired the boy actually was. Even his bright grin these days wasn't reaching his eyes.

The thief sighed. She had to pay more attention to these kinds of things because, apparently, her captain couldn't take care of himself properly. If Luffy insisted on calling her his nakama, she could demand of him to look after himself. That was what nakama did for each other, right?

A serene smile found its way onto Nami's lips from that line of thought, vanishing completely a moment later when a blood-chilling scream from below pierced the peaceful night's silence.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Chasing the Nightmares Away


	15. Chasing the Nightmares Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to be sure, I'd like to repeat myself: there will be no romance in this story. Not with Nami, not with Robin, not with Hancock, or any other girl/woman. The same with slash. No romance with Zoro, or Law (even if it breaks my heart to state that!), or any other male. If you can live through this chapter, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to handle the rest of the story :)

A serene smile found its way onto Nami's lips from that line of thought, vanishing completely a moment later when a blood-chilling scream from below pierced the peaceful night's silence.

Nami hastily climbed down from the crow's nest to check whatever was happening downstairs. The instant her feet touched the deck, the hatch to the boy's room slammed open. The thief jumped, startled by the loud bang, and turned to look at that direction.

Bareheaded, Luffy leapt out from the inside and immediately started to look around the ship wildly. He had his back turned to Nami, and hadn't noticed her approach.

"Luffy?" the navigator called, touching the boy's shoulder to get his attention. She hadn't expected him to swivel around so fast, absolute terror and despair etched on his face. Nami flinched when Luffy smacked her hand with a considerable amount of strength.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, backing away from her. "Go away! You're not real!"

Nami just blinked at the teen's actions and words, ignoring the throbbing of her hand, but pulling it to her chest nonetheless. She couldn't understand why he acted so scared, completely out of his mind from fear which was simmering openly in his obsidian eyes.

"I guess now we know why he wasn't sleeping."

Zoro's voice right behind her startled Nami, and she briefly glanced at the swordsman who stopped at her side, before looking back at Luffy. "What happened?" she asked.

The swordsman rubbed his jaw where Luffy punched him when he had tried to wake him up, staring intently at his captain. Luffy backed away from them until he hit the wall. "One moment we were all sleeping, and the next Luffy woke us with his screams," Zoro replied. "I don't think he realizes what he's doing right now."

They needed to shake Luffy out of his nightmare or hallucination, whatever it was, but Zoro was wary about approaching him in that kind of state. He got punched halfheartedly while trying to get ahold of his flailing arms, but nobody was able to tell whether the rubber boy would attack them for real if he felt cornered.

Luffy suddenly stilled. His eyes stopped darting around and fixed on the people in front of him. The overwhelming terror was pushed to the side by steely resolve. His hand slipped behind his back. Fingers slowly curled around the handle of the dagger.

Zoro felt his stomach churning as his eyes followed Luffy's hand, and he realized what the boy was thinking. "Wait, Luffy, what are you doing?!" the swordsman exclaimed, stepping forward. "You're safe here! Nobody is threatening your freedom, so just calm down!"

Nami and Usopp, who climbed onto the deck after Zoro, shared a bewildered glance with each other. None of them knew what their swordsman was talking about, and why all of the sudden he seemed on a brink of panic.

"Shit…" Zoro muttered when there was no recognition sparking in Luffy's eyes. "The hat!" he shouted unexpectedly before turning around. "Where is his hat?!"

"Uh, I think it's still down in the room," Usopp answered.

"Go get it."

"How does the hat hel–"

"NOW!"

The long-nosed teen sprang to action and clambered back down into the men's room without any further questions. He emerged from below after several seconds with Luffy's straw hat in hand. Zoro grabbed it, and quickly strode towards his captain, closely observing his hand behind his back.

The swordsman was within a few feet of him when Luffy drew his dagger. In one swift motion, Zoro gripped the blade, successfully stopping it mid-move, and jammed the straw hat on the teen's head, praying that he would be right about it.

Luffy's tensed frame sagged instantly. His unoccupied, trembling hand rose and gingerly brushed over the hat's rim before clenching it tightly.

"Are you with me, Luffy?" Zoro asked, still holding the dagger's blade in his palm.

The boy flinched at the voice. He lifted his head and stared at his nakama. "Zoro," Luffy finally whispered. His eyes drifted to the side, widening at the sight of his drawn dagger and Zoro's blood dripping through his fingers onto the deck. He looked back at the swordsman, his eyes suddenly guarded and wary. "I'm sorry, Zoro."

Zoro's gaze lingered on his face for a bit longer, trying to ascertain if Luffy was truly fully there. Deciding that it was safe, he unclenched the fist from around the blade, and grunted, "It's fine."

Nami and Usopp let out the breaths they were holding once they heard Zoro's statement. The swordsman turned around, leaving Luffy to stare at his retreating back, and without a word went down to the men's room. Usopp scrambled after him in haste, muttering quietly that he'd help him to bandage his hand.

Luffy's eyes flickered to his dagger, coated in his nakama's blood.

He thought he was able to shove all those memories aside, bury them in the deepest layers of his mind. He thought that he could hold those night terrors at bay, that he already got over the nightmares and flashbacks. He thought that _they_ didn't have any hold over him any longer.

The teen's grip on the dagger's handle tightened as he narrowed his eyes at it.

No, he would not lose to _them_ and all the horrors _they_ inflicted on him. He would show the world that _they_ were unable to break Monkey D. Luffy, the future Pirate King!

"Luffy?"

Luffy glanced up, meeting worried brown orbs of Nami's eyes. That's right, he was not alone anymore. Hopefully, he would never have to be alone ever again. A ghost of a smile crossed the rubber pirate's features from that thought.

"You can go to sleep, Nami," Luffy said, brushing the blood from the dagger with his fingers. "I'll take over the night watch."

Nami wanted to help, really wanted to say something to comfort Luffy, but she couldn't find any words to tell him. She was a damaged person herself. The night when she cried into his chest was still fresh in the thief's mind. Luffy managed to give her what she needed most at that moment: the strong presence beside her who overshadowed Arlong's threat. Nami was weaker than Luffy. She couldn't become the pillar he would be able to hide behind from whatever demons were haunting him.

And Nami hated that all she was able to do was to mutter, "Okay. Good night, then," and turn her back to her captain.

Doing so, Nami missed a true, soft smile which curled on Luffy's lips. He knew that she cared, that they all did, and it was all he needed to push away the darkness that threatened to overwhelm him.

* * *

It was a nice, sunny day. The wind was almost down, so the Going Merry floated peacefully on the calm waters of the East Blue.

The ship was silent for the moment. All morning, Usopp played the hide-and-seek game with Luffy, and again lost miserably. Now, he was nursing his pride by crafting something in the lounge area. Trying to avoid being included in the teens' hide-and-tag game, Zoro climbed onto the roof of the lounge for his usual nap and was snoring undisturbed there. Luffy sat on Merry's figurehead, and with a smile observed the surrounding never-ending sea.

And Nami was standing on the stern deck, glowering at the wooden Bo staff in her hands. Being a thief who stole from pirates wasn't an easy profession, especially for a girl, so Nami had to learn how to wield a weapon. But there was no one around to teach her properly, so all her skills were self-taught, and consequently mediocre at the best. After witnessing sparring between Luffy and Zoro, the navigator started to wonder if she really was capable of defending herself in a pinch.

Remembering how Luffy spun his own Bo staff, Nami tried to copy that. She somewhat succeeded, until she decided to quicken her pace. The staff slipped from her hands, clattered on the floor and almost rolled off of the ship before the thief managed to grab it. She glared at it. Luffy used his weapon so masterly in both defensive and offensive techniques, but Nami could merely whack her opponents without any grace.

The thief peeked around the corner at the lonely figure on the sheep's head. She bit her lip, hesitating to go and ask him for some training tips. Nami didn't want to give herself additional reasons to like these people and get attached to them even more. This voyage was only temporary for her. Once she collected enough money, she'd have to go back. Arlong was probably already getting antsy because of her long absence.

Nami shook her head to disperse thoughts about that despicable Fishman. She took a deep breath and walked across the ship. "Luffy," the navigator called, once she reached ship's bow.

The straw-hatted teen glanced back. His gaze flickered to the Bo staff, Nami was holding in her hand, then back again at her face, and he raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"Um, I saw you using a Bo staff," Nami started, uncertain. "It happens that I'm using one too, so I was wondering if you could give me some tips."

"Sure!" Luffy replied cheerfully, sliding from his spot to stand beside his navigator. "Show me your stance."

Nami blinked. Stance? Show him her stance? What stance? She glared at the staff again, gripped it with both her hands, unsure of what stance should really be, and looked at Luffy for guidance.

A light frown crossed his features, but the boy hadn't commented on Nami's lack of knowledge. "Can you spin it?" he asked instead.

The thief gritted her teeth while the blush dyed her cheeks, remembering how she almost lost her staff trying to repeat Luffy's spectacular spinning. "No!" she denied forcefully. "Why is it so important?!"

"It's the easiest way to get accustomed to your staff. A weapon can be just a tool you use, or it can become an extension of your arm. I'm sure you understand which one is better," Luffy explained. "You can ask Zoro if you want. He'll tell you the same thing." He waved in the direction where the swordsman was.

Nami turned to see Zoro sitting in his previous napping spot, observing them closely. Noticing her gaze on him, he nodded in agreement with Luffy's statement.

The rubber boy continued, "It also helps to train your hold on your staff. You can't afford to lose your only weapon in a fight." He smiled. "Here, I'll show you." Luffy stepped a bit further from the girl and motioned to her. "C'mon, attack me."

Nami snapped her head to stare at him. "What? I'm not going to spar with you!"

The straw-hatted pirate tilted his head in confusion. "We're not sparring. I just want to show you one move." After a pause, he nonchalantly added as an afterthought, "Besides, you can't hit me anyways."

The thief narrowed her eyes. Inability to land a hit on Luffy was extremely frustrating to her, and damn that Luffy's talent to taunt people with only his words!

Luffy smirked mischievously when Nami thrust her staff towards him, caught it easily with one hand and held firmly in place. "What are you gonna do in this kind of situation?" he asked.

The navigator stared dumbly at first, then vainly tried to yank her weapon out of the captain's grip. Luffy put one foot forward for better balance and brought his free hand down on the staff so hard that Nami squealed when it was violently ripped from her grasp. The black-haired teen wasn't finished, though. He slightly shifted position of his hands, twisted his wrist, and the other end of the staff promptly swung around and stopped merely an inch from the thief's top of the head.

Nami's eyes widened as she realized what happened, quickly stepping from under the staff.

"That's why you need to have a good hold on it," Luffy concluded, casually spinning the Bo staff. He did it slowly so that Nami was able to see how his hands moved. Then he stopped and extended the weapon for the girl. "It doesn't matter how slow you go at first. Now, practice!"

The thief took the staff without a word and tried to repeat what she just saw, with Luffy correcting her.

"What are you guys doing?" Usopp asked, coming up onto the bow deck.

"Nami is training," Luffy informed him.

"Training?" The liar eyed the orange-haired girl, twirling her staff with knitted brows in concentration. "Oh, I know!" he suddenly exclaimed, bolting to the storage room. "Luffy, come here to help me!" came a shout from inside.

"With what?!" the captain yelled back.

"With a cannon!"

Zoro leaned forward so that he could see Usopp pushing cannon out from the storage room. "Why do you need a cannon?" he asked, curious.

The sharpshooter looked up at him and shook his finger together with his head. "Tsk-tsk-tsk, Zoro, I see that you still have no idea of my position in this crew!"

The swordsman blinked at him. "And what is that?"

Usopp smirked. "I'm the great capt–"

"He's our sniper!" Luffy cut him off cheerfully as he wrapped his rubbery arms around the cannon several times and with one swift move lifted it easily from the floor.

The long-nosed teen gulped nervously at such display of power. There was no way that he would be able to stand against Luffy on equal ground. Usopp also guessed that because of all the mood swings, nightmares plaguing his sleep, and other haunting psychological problems, Luffy was probably not the sanest person in the world. Yeah, the sniper nodded to himself, agreeing with his own thoughts, there was really no need to aggravate his captain by claiming his position.

"Hurry up, Usopp!" Luffy called from the back of the ship. "I can see a rock in the middle of the sea, you can practice on it!"

"Roger that!"

Luffy stared excited at the rock, sticking above the surface, while Usopp made preparations to shoot the cannon for the first time.

"Judging the distance between here and the target… The wind direction…" the newly appointed ship's sniper mumbled under his nose. "This should about do it…"

The straw-hatted pirate suddenly froze as his mystery power picked up a human presence on that small rocky island. "Usopp, wait…!" he cried out, simultaneously shoving cannon to the side. It slid away slightly and fired. The shot caused recoil, and cannon rolled backwards, straight on Usopp's foot.

As his long-nosed nakama screamed from pain in the background, Luffy heaved a relieved sigh when cannonball plummeted into the water with a huge splash next to the island. He concentrated on it. There was a second presence there too, very dim and weak. The rubber boy frowned at that. "Nami!" he hollered. "Can we go to that rock?!"

"Why?!"

"There are people there!"

"…Alright!" an answer came after a short pause.

Zoro jumped from the lounge roof. "People?" he asked, a hand instinctively sliding on his white katana's handle.

Usopp lifted his head up from where he fell down, eyes still full of tears as he clutched his sore foot in his hands. "Eh, people?" he sniffled.

"Yeah," Luffy replied them both, turning around to face them. He couldn't fight an amused smile from the sight of Usopp. "Sorry about your foot," he apologized.

The liar glared at him. "You don't sound sorry at all!"

* * *

All crew gathered on the bow deck as Going Merry neared the rocky island. The first thing they spotted was an average sized boat with a small cabin and a mast in the middle of it. Then they noticed a person on the island. He was sitting next to another person, lying on the ground, but jumped up to his feet once he noticed the pirate ship approaching.

It was a man with a short black hair, sunglasses, and a black tattoo on his left cheek. He tightly gripped a sword hanging on his waist, before all of a sudden, a surprised expression appeared on his face. "Zoro-aniki?" he asked in disbelief.

"Huh?" Zoro squinted at the man, recognition crossing his features. "Hey, aren't you Johnny?!"

"Anikiiiii!" the stranger exclaimed happily.

"What are you doing here?" the swordsman inquired, then he looked behind Johnny at the second man who hadn't given any reaction to the pirates. "Is that Yosaku? What happened?"

The man clenched his teeth. "Yosaku is… He's sick."

"Sick?!" Zoro echoed, voice layered by surprise and worry.

"With what?" Usopp asked.

"I-I don't know… He was just fine a couple of days ago," Johnny recalled, sitting beside his friend again. His eyes were trained on the lying man, hunched shoulders showing despair and grief. "But then he turned pale and kept passing out! His teeth have begun to fall out, and his old wounds have reopened…" His voice grew shaky, and Johnny put a palm on his forehead. "I don't know what to do anymore. I was trying to let Yosaku get some rest here, but he's not getting any better!"

Luffy cocked his head to the side in thought. Where had he heard those symptoms before?

Johnny was crying now. "Yosaku and I lived and worked together as bounty hunters for years! Is this… how it's all gonna end?!"

Luffy remembered where he'd heard about it with a jolt. His brother gave him a very long and boring lecture about how he had to eat all kind of fruits and vegetables if he wanted to be healthy. "Maybe he just needs to eat some fruits to get better," he suggested.

"What?!" Johnny bristled, jumping on his feet again and grabbing a handle of his sword. "A no-name pirate dares to make a mockery on my partner's suffering..!"

"No, Luffy is right," Nami concurred. "Usopp, there are some limes in the storage. Squeeze some juice out and bring it here."

While the sharpshooter scurried off to the storage room, the straw-hatted teen turned to his swordsman and quietly asked, "You trust them?"

Zoro's attention snapped to him, but seeing that his captain was completely serious with his question, he nodded.

"Alright, then," Luffy accepted his answer. He motioned to Johnny and smiled. "Bring your friend onto our ship."

* * *

"He's afflicted with scurvy," Nami stated after Usopp brought a mug of fresh lime juice and with the help from Luffy was trying to make a bounty hunter to drink it. "If we're not too late, he should recover just fine in a few days."

"A-are you telling me the truth, aneki?!" Johnny shouted, ecstatic about the news.

"Please, don't call me that." The navigator scowled at him, but continued her explanation, "It's caused by lack of nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, so it's like Luffy said – you need to eat them to stay healthy while sailing."

"Wow, I'm surprised you knew that, Luffy," Usopp commented.

"Shishishishi!"

Suddenly the sick man opened his eyes, blinked dumbly at all the people around him, then leapt from the floor with a joyful yell, "It's working! I'm recovering!"

Johnny grinned at his friend, hooked an arm around his, and they started to dance around. "Haha, my partner's fine now! Welcome back!"

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "You don't recover that fast!" she shrieked.

The two men stopped, striking the same pose – one arm around their waist and another touching their jaw.

"Sorry for the late introductions," one of them said. "The name's Johnny!"

"And I'm Yosaku," the second one added. "We're pirate hunters!"

"Zoro-aniki used to be one of us, too," Johnny remarked. "It's a pleasure to meet you all!"

Yosaku bowed down. "I don't know how to thank you. I thought I bit the dust for sure."

"Zoro's friends are our friends," Luffy replied, giving them a friendly smile, "even if you're pirate hunters."

"Well, I'm so surprised! I never would've expected the infamous pirate hunter Zoro to have become a pirate himself!" Johnny babbled happily. Yosaku paled, swayed and lost his footing as the blood gushed out of his nose and mouth. "Whoa, partner!" his friend yelped, rushing to help him.

The pirates brought the bounty hunter inside for the so-needed rest and sat themselves around the main deck. The conversation went about various dangers they'd face on long voyages and how important cook's position was for the survival of the crew.

"As I've already told Zoro and Nami," Luffy said with a matter-of-fact tone, "a cook, a musician, and a fluffy one are the most important positions in a pirate crew. We're definitely getting them as soon as possible."

"A fluffy one?" Usopp asked, tilting his head in confusion.

Nami sighed. "Don't even try to understand that," she recommended. "That's Luffy for you."

"Fluffy… Luffy…" the liar mumbled. "Is it because of his name?"

The navigator frowned at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Take the first 'F' from 'fluffy' and you get 'Luffy'."

Zoro snorted at that. Nami simply facepalmed herself, and Luffy seemed marveled by Usopp's idea.

"If you're looking for a cook," Johnny spoke, "I know where you could find one. Of course, getting one to join you is another matter altogether…"

The captain smirked confidently under his straw hat. "If there will be anyone worthy, I'll take care of it. So, where are we going?"

"The floating restaurant – Baratie!"

* * *

Luffy threw a last glance at the sea, sighed, and jumped from his favorite spot on Merry's figurehead. It was a late evening, and whole crew with their two guests was gathered in the lounge, whiling away the time remaining before they went to sleep. The rubber boy was the last one to join them.

Nami was sitting by the table and reading a newspaper, shuffling through the pages from time to time. Usopp was intently hammering something in his spot which he claimed as his 'workshop'. Zoro lounged against the wall, contently sipping from a bottle of sake. Johnny and Yosaku were sitting opposite of Nami, and imbibed lime juice with a great resolve.

Luffy stopped in front of Zoro, his face marred with a light frown. "Zoro," he called, drawing the swordsman's attention, "remember our bet?"

"You finally decided what favor you want to ask me?" his green-haired nakama asked, lifting his bottle to his lips for a sip.

"Yeah," the teen nodded. "Sleep with me."

Zoro instantly choked on his booze and went into a coughing fit. Nami ripped a newspaper in two, blinking owlishly at her captain, while Usopp smashed a hammer on his finger, but hadn't noticed, instead stared at Luffy dumbly. The bounty hunter duo spat their juice all over the table and gawked at the young pirate with remnants of it dripping from their jaws.

The straw-hatted boy frowned deeper, puzzled by their reactions. Did he just say something wrong again? Yeah, probably that. He turned to ship's guests. "Johnny, Yosaku, can you leave us for a minute?"

"S-sure, Luffy-aniki…" they both stammered out in unison, a small blush reddening their cheeks.

Once they closed a door behind them, Luffy faced Zoro again who finally managed to clear his pipe and now just gawked at him, completely dumbfounded. "My nightmares…" the teen trailed off, biting his lower lip. He took a deep breath and continued, "They are getting worse since I got sho–" he cut himself off, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter… Thing is, they are getting out of control." All three pairs of eyes fixed on him widened as they remembered his horrible episode last night. "I used to sleep next to my brother… It helped." Luffy paused. "I just need to feel someone I trust next to me while I sleep."

A silence settled in the room after Luffy's confession. Zoro mulled over his words, remembering how this kid stepped in front of marines' rifles and stopped the bullets. And then the memory of small, round scars on Luffy's shoulders emerged from his mind, and everything clicked into place.

"Fine," the swordsman replied shortly, standing up from the ground and putting his sake bottle on the table. "Can someone take over my watch tonight?"

Usopp's hand shot up. "I'll do it!"

"I can replace Usopp in the morning," Nami offered.

Luffy smiled at his nakama. "Thank you."

* * *

Usopp carefully climbed down, trying to be as sneaky as possible. A small candle in his hand hardly lighted the men's room, but the sharpshooter wasn't bothered by it. He knew exactly where his hammock was. If he took a longer path to it past Zoro's sleeping space, it was just that – an accident.

Usopp stopped and glanced at two sleeping forms. Luffy was curled next to Zoro, his back leaning against the swordsman's side. He clutched his straw hat to his chest, and even though there was tension visible on his features, the teen was sleeping in relative peace.

A small smile appeared on the liar's lips. He looked up and winced when his gaze met sharp silver eyes.

Zoro nodded once, indicating that everything was alright, and Usopp stepped away from their hammock with his heart finally at ease.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** A Restaurant on the Seas


	16. A Restaurant on the Seas

"Nami-aneki…" Johnny whined. "Can I go now?"

Nami's eyebrow twitched. "I told you not to call me that," she said, pushing one tip of her Bo staff into his hands. "Now, hold it tightly. I want to try this again."

As he gripped the staff, the bounty hunter winced, fully knowing what was coming next. The navigator brought one hand on the staff, ripping it off from Johnny's grasp, when shifted her position and twisted her wrist. The staff swung around and the other end of it smashed on the hunter's head.

"Oww…" Johnny moaned, nursing one more lump in his already rich collection.

"Yeah! Finally, I can do it easily!" Nami exclaimed happily, but then she frowned at the bounty hunter as he kept groaning. "Stop it. You're a man, aren't you? Can't you take a little of beating?"

"A little?!" Johnny yelled, outraged. He pointed at his head. "You call this a little?!"

"Whoa!" an awed cheer came from the other half of the Going Merry. "That's amazing, Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki!"

Nami and Johnny looked at the commotion. Yosaku, who evaded being the thief's training partner because he was still healing, was sitting on the lounge's roof and observing a sparring between Luffy and Zoro. The stern deck was pretty small, so two pirates couldn't get a serious sparring match. What they were doing was more akin to playing with each other using wooden replacements for their weapons.

Zoro clenched his teeth as the straw-hatted teen eluded his attack again and immediately countered it by seizing a split second opening and successfully delivering a hit to his side. The swordsman felt so weak. He would never be able to win against Luffy – it was impossible to beat your opponent if you couldn't land a hit on him.

"Zoro, focus!" the captain urged, thrusting his staff to the swordsman's stomach and getting a groan as a strike connected. "Losing your focus in a real fight can cost you your life."

Zoro knew that, but he still made such an amateurish mistake. He needed more training. Beating weaklings till now really made him fall under an illusion that he was invincible. The swordsman smirked as he attacked Luffy one more time. Meeting this goofy rubber boy was a fortunate turn of events, making him realize his own weakness much sooner.

"Aniki is strong, but Luffy-aniki is amazing, too!" Yosaku cheered at the sidelines again. "How do you even manage to dodge every attack from Zoro-aniki?"

Luffy slipped past another round of hits and smiled at his swordsman, feeling the turmoil in the latter's presence finally calming down. The teen's attention was solely on the man in front of him, so he replied to the hunter's question without really thinking what he was saying: "In death matches, every strike can kill you, and you learn to avoid it if you want to survive."

"Death matches?" Yosaku and Zoro asked in unison.

Luffy's smile fell, and his face became carefully blank. He was saved from the need to explain by a shout, coming from the crow's nest.

"Boat off the starboard bow!"

Everyone looked up in response to Usopp's call and turned their attention to the direction he specified.

"One man on the boat!" the sniper specified, looking at it through binocular.

Luffy could sense a presence on the boat. It felt muted and dim, like a faded color. The young pirate knew that it meant that the person was either injured or weakened by other means. In any case, he needed help.

"Nami!" Luffy shouted, but at that moment the Going Merry suddenly turned towards the boat.

The navigator appeared from around the corner. "I knew you'd want to investigate that," she said with a knowing smile.

"Shishishishi."

The man in the boat was not happy to see a pirate vessel coming towards his location. He glared at the pirates on the bow deck with a considerable amount of hostility, clenching an oar in his hands.

Luffy eyed the man intently, unfazed by his aggressive stance, noting his pale, unhealthy looking complexion, dark circles under his eyes, and dirt mixed with blood on his gray and green clothes.

"Captain?" Zoro grunted, a hand resting on his white sword, ready to draw it on a moment's notice.

"Wait," Luffy ordered before calling out to the stranger, "Hey! Are you hungry?"

The only answer he got was a startled expression on the man's face, but it was quickly covered by a silent indifference.

"Why is that the first question you ask?" Nami inquired, staring at the captain with a raised eyebrow.

Luffy just shrugged nonchalantly like that kind of question was the most common thing to ask of the person you had met in the middle of the ocean. "He looks hungry," he declared.

Usopp also carefully eyed the stranger in the lone boat. "How do you know?" he asked, honestly curious.

The straw-hatted teen thought for a second, then shrugged again. "It's obvious to me."

Zoro snorted. "Your mystery power again?"

"Shishishishi! That's right."

"What's it to you if I am hungry?" the man in the boat finally threw a question back at them.

Usopp frowned, mumbling to himself, "Mystery power?"

Nami looked between her captain and the stranger before sighing in surrender. She called out to him, "We have some food to spare if you want it."

It took a full minute for the man to respond as he stared at the young pirates, slightly stunned by their un-pirate-like generosity. "...I'd appreciate that," he said in a subdued voice.

* * *

"This is good," Gin, as he had introduced himself, complimented Nami, biting another bite of his rice ball.

They were all gathered in Merry's galley. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku joined their guest and also were eating, while Luffy, Nami, and Zoro were just keeping them company.

"I second that!" Yosaku exclaimed cheerfully.

Johnny gulped down his bite and grinned at the orange-haired girl. "Nami-aneki is an amazing cook herself!"

"Oh, it's nothing special," Nami waved them all off. "And for the umpteenth time, I told you not to call me that." She smacked the bounty hunter across his head. Then she turned to Usopp and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "Usopp, this food was for our guests."

The sniper cringed, stuffed the last piece of rice ball into his mouth and hastily slurred, "Iw eawth nogthwingh."

"Oh, really?" Nami asked with a sweet smile plastered on her face. "Of course, you can always pay me for serving you food, and we can call it square. What do you say?"

"None of us are real cooks," Luffy suddenly said to Gin, drawing his attention from the scary pirate woman. "We're actually on our way to a sea restaurant Baratie to try getting one."

"Baratie, huh?" The man smiled fondly from hearing that name. "I just came from there; a blonde chef named Sanji made the best meal I've ever had in my entire life!"

Usopp let out a painful 'Ow!' when Nami's fist collided with the top of his head, but Luffy completely ignored what his nakama were doing. "Oh, you've been there?" He grinned at Gin. "The best meal made by a chef named Sanji... Gotcha!"

"Yeah. Great guy, fed me even when I couldn't afford it. The rest of them are bastards," Gin recalled, wiping away the last crumbs from his face. "Thanks a lot for offering me your food, too. But I should probably get back on my way."

"Oh? You weren't just drifting?" Zoro chimed in.

"Of course not," the man denied, baffled by a question. "Who would be stupid enough to try to cross the ocean without at least having some basic navigation skills?"

Luffy and Zoro blinked at him, then pointed at each other. "He would," they both deadpanned in unison.

Nami facepalmed. "Idiots… All of you."

Gin chuckled. "Well, I'm heading back to my captain, the great Don Krieg," he explained.

"Krieg?" Johnny and Yosaku perked up. They pulled out a pile of bounty posters, quickly rifling through them. "'Foul Play' Krieg, wanted for 17 million beli?"

"Yeah. He's the strongest man I've ever met."

"So, you're a pirate?" Luffy asked. An excited grin stretched across his face. "Is your crew traveling to the Grand Line too?"

"Y-You're going to the Grand Line?"

Luffy pursed his lips into a thin line as he felt a fear spiking in his new friend's presence. "Have you already been on the Grand Line?"

"I… We… We had been there…" the man squeezed out, clenching his hands into tight fists. "And we were decimated. Seven days, that was all what it took to lose all our fleet of fifty ships… It was destroyed by one man."

"Fifty ships?!" Usopp shrieked in alarm. "By one man?!"

Gin put a hand on his headband and pulled it down. "Yeah… You all are still young. There are other waters to sail as pirates. Don't go to the Grand Line."

Everyone was startled. Zoro and Nami stared at Gin with wide eyes, Usopp chewed on his nails, and the bounty hunter duo threw worried glances at the pirates.

"Sounds like you had a tough luck," Luffy stated, not fazed by the shared news at all. He put a hand on his straw hat and grinned. "But we're still going there."

"M-m-maybe we should consider it more carefully…" the sniper tried to object.

"There's nothing to think about, Usopp," Luffy said firmly. "One Piece is somewhere out there, so we're going."

Zoro smirked. "Heh sounds interesting."

Nami stayed silent, an unreadable expression on her features.

Gin smiled as he stood up. "Well, I just wanted to warn you, but you're free to do what you want. It's not that I have the right to stop you."

Luffy beamed at him. "You're a good guy, I like you!" he exclaimed. "If you hadn't had a captain already, I would have asked you to join my crew."

They slowly walked out of the lounge and onto the stern deck where Gin's boat was tied up.

"Thanks, but I'm proud to sail under Don Krieg's Jolly Roger," the pirate said before jumping into his boat.

The straw-hatted teen leaned on the railing to look at him. "As long as he's the true captain and takes care of you and his remaining crew, I will not complain about that," he stated. "Good luck, Gin."

"You, too. Thank you for the food again!"

"Anytime!"

* * *

"Zoro-aniki! Luffy-aniki! Usopp-aniki! Nami-aniki! We're here at the restaurant!" the bounty hunters duo's holler rang through the Going Merry, spurring everyone into action.

Nami gritted her teeth. "Why am I 'aniki' now…?"

"Because you didn't want to be their 'aneki'," Usopp supplied while passing by.

The navigator let out a frustrated growl and stomped to the bow to give the hunters a piece of her mind, but all her frustration vanished as soon as she saw a three-storied, fish shaped ship. The boys were already excitedly awing over it, and Nami could only smile at their enthusiasm.

The pirates carefully maneuvered Merry to anchor at the side of the restaurant near the main entrance. Luffy bounced onto the lower deck of the Baratie and eagerly urged the rest of his crew to hurry up. Nami followed him shortly after. While Zoro pushed an anchor to the water, Usopp prepared to leave the Going Merry too, when suddenly a bigger vessel sailed right next to them.

"Oi, oi, little ones," rang a voice full of mockery from the other ship. "This is our target, it would be too much for the kids like you. Go terrorize some kindergarten or something."

Everyone turned their heads to look at the speaker. He was standing in front of the bunch of men under a black flag with a skull and crossbones fluttering high above them, scoffing at Luffy and his crew.

"I don't recognize their Jolly Roger…" Johnny muttered, scanning through his bounty posters.

"Hmm…" Yosaku hummed. "Isn't their captain called 'Butcher' Torp?"

"Oh, you're right. He's worth 4 million beli."

Luffy stared at the unfamiliar pirates for a bit before a wicked smirk tugged his lips. Nami winced. She knew that smile. It was one of those 'If you're asking for a fight, you'll get more than you bargained for' smiles.

"We're good, but thanks for your concern, old man! You can go now, bye!" Luffy answered cheerfully, waving his hand as a goodbye.

Nami snickered. Zoro burst into laughter, ignoring furious glares from the enemy crew.

The captain 'Butcher' Torp, a huge man with even bigger saw sword strapped on his back, grabbed his weapon's handle, with another hand motioning to his men to attack, and ground out, "You'll pay for that, little shit."

* * *

It was a common day on Baratie.

Sanji got up with the sun to start the work in the kitchen. It was a simple chore – prepare ingredients, add spices and sauce, be patient and pay attention to small details. Nothing too hard or complex for the Assistant Head Chef.

In these moments Sanji's mind wandered far away from Baratie, outside of the East Blue boundaries into the place he saw only in dreams. The All Blue! A mystical sea of legend rumored to be the only place in the world where the North, South, East, and West seas met. In this legendary ocean, it was said that there were fishes from each of the four seas, and to have such a resource at one's disposal was the ultimate dream of every chef.

One day, Sanji would go and find the sea of his dreams.

One day, but not today. Because Patty was already screaming that there was a customer waiting to make his order, and there were no waiters to wait on tables. The old geezer Zeff was giving him that _look_ again as Sanji passed him, and the blonde tsked in annoyance.

Yeah, it was a day as always.

A good day, if he had any right to say his opinion. There were quite a number of beautiful ladies today visiting the restaurant, and Sanji had his work cut out for him. To please and compliment every lady was not an easy job, as much as it seemed like one.

Sanji was busy cooing around one of the gorgeous customers when a scream came from the outside. A man who had just left came back inside in a hurry, a panicked expression on his face. "Pirates!" he yelled. "Two pirate crews are fighting outside!"

Yep, just a simple day on Baratie.

"I'm sorry, my lady," Sanji apologized and kissed the top of woman's palm, causing her to blush, and her companion to down another shot of sake biting down a snarl. "But there is an emergency I must deal with to keep you safe."

"Oh... Be careful!"

The blonde cook almost melted into puddle pleased to hear a heart-warming concern in the lady's voice. "Of course, my lovely princess, I will!" he promised as he tore himself from her and made his way outside.

Sanji lit a new cigarette as he stepped through an entrance, quickly sweeping the area with his eyes to get an understanding of the battle. There really were two groups of pirates, going by their ships docked nearby. One crew seemed like a run-of-the-mill, typical pirates with a bunch of ugly men, armed to the teeth. Another group was way more interesting, as Sanji could see only six members, four of them being of his age or even younger.

"Don't touch this ship, you jerks! I can't eat the best meal of the lifetime in wreckage! Go away!" A shout drew the chef's attention to the short black-haired kid with a straw hat who easily dispatched a bunch of grown-ups with a single punch and pushed them off the Baratie and into the water.

"Huh," Sanji mused. At least now he knew for which group to cheer. Not to mention, there was a petite orange-haired girl with them. Sanji stared at her and felt his heart skip a beat.

Nami smirked as the pirate she was fighting against suddenly grabbed her Bo staff. The thief quickly used the move she was honing for the past few days and soon her opponent was lying on the floor out cold. Nami grinned in victory. "Yeah! I did it!" she cheered.

"Gyaaaaahhhhh!" a screech of doom came from the Going Merry, and Nami turned to see what was happening. Usopp was running laps around the ship with two guys on his tail. They waved their sabers and spewed curses, unable to catch a fast prey.

Zoro, who somehow ended up on an enemy ship and was wreaking havoc there, suddenly grabbed one of the pirates and threw him over his shoulder into the air towards the Going Merry. A shrieking man crashed right on top of both Usopp's pursuers. The sniper made another lap, not noticing that his enemies were already down, but when his foot got caught by their bodies and he fell flat on the face.

Usopp lifted his head and looked around, noting unconscious men under him. "Ohhh! Nice, Zoro!" he cried out.

The green-haired man glanced at him. "What?" he asked.

"Just like I planned!" Usopp flashed thumbs up to the swordsman, causing him to frown in confusion.

Sanji smiled, amused. What an interesting group of pirates. Suddenly he heard a female's scream, and tensed up immediately, quickly zeroing on the orange-haired girl again. One of the run-of-the-mill pirates had forced her to drop her Bo staff and now loomed over her aggressively. "Shitty bastard…" the blonde hissed as the man lifted his sword to finish the girl.

Sanji didn't even have time to move an inch from his standing spot to protect her when out of nowhere a boy with the straw hat appeared in between the man and his crewmate.

Luffy grabbed the pirate's hand which held the sword, yanked him closer and menacingly growled out, "Try to touch even a hair on my nakama's head, and I'll rip those fingers off and cram them down your throat." He smiled in a dark and sadistic manner. "Maybe if I'll feel generous, I might ask cooks of this restaurant to grill them first for you," Luffy said while tightening his hold on the man's hand. A handle of the sword cracked under the pressure.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! S-s-s-sorry!" the pirate cried out through tears of pain. He vainly tried to free his crushed palm. "I'm so sorry!"

The straw-hatted pirate glared at him for a bit longer. Something dark flashed in his eyes. A glimpse of bloodlust in them was squelched as soon as it appeared. "Piss off!" he ordered, letting the man go, and the latter hightailed out of there, nursing his broken arm. Luffy picked Nami's staff, turned around and grinned brightly at her. "I saw you using that move I showed you earlier. Nicely done!"

Nami just stared at her captain, feeling dazed. His mood swings were starting to give her whiplash. "Um, thanks," she said, taking her weapon back.

Zoro landed next to them, sheathing his katanas, and yawned. "I could use a nap… and sake," he mumbled, absent-mindedly scratching the back of his head.

"Aniki's so cool!" Johnny and Yosaku exclaimed in awe.

"What's so cool about that?" Nami wondered.

Luffy chuckled. He turned to the Going Merry and waved to his sniper. "Usopp, hurry up! Let's go eat!"

"Coming!" the long-nosed teen replied.

Suddenly, Luffy appeared right beside him and pushed him to the side. A battle ax crashed into Merry's deck where Usopp was standing a moment ago. The sniper paled as he realized that his captain just saved him from being cleaved in two.

The straw-hatted teen swung one of his fists back and punched the enemy pirate in his gut. The man staggered, his eyes rolled back and he fell down.

"Sneaky bastard…" Luffy spat out. He glanced at his nakama. "You okay, Usopp?"

"Y-yeah. Thanks."

"How long do you plan to sit there and watch?!" the rubber boy yelled at the enemy vessel. "Your crew is down! What kind of captain are you?!"

A huge shadow moved, revealing 'Butcher' Torp sneering at the straw-hatted teen. "If you want to play, kid, come at me," he invited.

Luffy smirked at the invitation and jumped to the other ship. He ducked below the wide swing of Torp's huge saw sword as soon as he landed.

Sanji walked to the green-haired swordsman. "Aren't you gonna help that kid?" he asked him.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the question. "Who? Luffy? Our captain doesn't need help against that weakling," he deadpanned.

The blonde glanced at the black flag on the sheep ship. So, that small boy was really a captain. Sanji observed him avoiding yet another sweep of the saw sword. "Why doesn't he attack then?"

"Tch," Zoro clicked his tongue, scowling in irritation. "Luffy, stop playing and let's get something to eat!"

The straw-hatted teen's head literally spun around at 180-degree angle to look at the swordsman. Nami, Usopp, and bounty hunters gasped in horror. Sanji's mouth opened and his cigarette dropped on the floor. Even Zoro's eyes widened in surprise.

Luffy's eyes flickered to the blonde man in a black suit next to his swordsman, and he beamed in pure delight. "You must be Sanji, the cook Gin was talking about!" he exclaimed, not even paying attention to the sloppy strike from the enemy captain because it went way off the mark. Torp was blinking at the black-haired kid's back of the head shell-shocked.

"What the…" Sanji muttered, unable to believe the bizarre sight in front of his eyes.

"DON'T SCARE US LIKE THAT, IDIOT!" Nami and Usopp yelled together.

"Sorry, sorry!" Luffy replied. His head snapped back into correct position as he stretched one of his arms far behind him and brought it back right into Butcher's stomach. The man gurgled and crumpled down unconscious.

"Whoa, captain!" cried out some guy peeking around the corner.

Luffy looked at him. "If you want your captain back, give me all your treasure," he said. "Or else I'll throw him overboard."

"What are you, a devil?!" another man accused.

"I'm a pirate," the teen stated in a matter-of-fact tone. An evil smile slipped on the future Pirate King's lips, sending shivers along Torp's goons' spines. "So, the treasure?"

* * *

"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled happily, jumping from the enemy vessel with their treasure bag in hand. He extended it to Nami. "This is yours, Nami, like we agreed on."

The thief's face lit up instantly. Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku rubbed their eyes, trying to dispel the illusion of beli signs in her eyes.

"Captain, you understand me so well!" Nami squealed, hugging the bag tightly to her chest.

"Ooooh, lovely lady~!" Sanji jumped towards her. "I can be your treasure, too!"

"DON'T TOUCH MY MONEY!" she shrieked, landing a punch to his face and sending the chef sprawling on the floor.

"So… strong, but… so beautiful!" the blonde stammered out.

Everyone just stared dumbly at the scene, before Luffy burst into laughter. "Sanji!" he suddenly called out. "Can you give us that best meal I've heard so much about?"

* * *

Sanji closed the door behind him and filled his lungs fully with fresh salty air, feeling a usual piece settling on his shoulders. He lit a new cigarette.

"Having a break?"

Sanji turned and looked up. The straw-hatted pirate was sitting on the third-floor railing, dangling his legs in a carefree manner and smiling down at him. "What are you doing here?" the cook asked. "I saw your crew inside just a moment ago."

Luffy shrugged. "I don't like to be in the crowded places for too long."

"Huh." It was strange. This exuberant teen seemed like the one who would the heart of the party. "Well, did you like the food at least?"

Luffy beamed at him. "Absolutely! It sure was one of the best meals I've ever had!"

The blonde smiled. "Good to hear." He faced the sea again, leaning on the railing. "If only the old fart would acknowledge my cooking..."

The pirate stared at Sanji. He could feel it now. Deep in his presence was the same passion that not only he possessed himself, but could also be found in Zoro, Nami, and Usopp. The yearning for freedom to chase after their dream without any restraints.

Luffy jumped down and settled on the railing next to Sanji. "Do you have a dream?" he asked.

The blonde glanced at him. He blew out a puff of smoke, thinking over to tell this guy his dream or not… "Have you ever heard about the All Blue?"

"All Blue?" Luffy tilted his head to the side and hummed thoughtfully. "Nope."

"What? You've never heard of the ocean of miracles? Well, you see, in the All Blue…" With an excited, wide grin plastered on his face, Sanji happily told him everything about the All Blue and his dream to find it one day.

Luffy listened to his tale, marveled at how the man's presence buzzed with the thrill of joy from simply talking about his dream.

"...and it's in the Grand Line somewhere! So, I want to go out there one day and find it!"

"Alright," Luffy nodded to himself, "I've decided."

"Decided what?"

A sunny grin split the boy's face in two. "Join my crew! Let's find the All Blue together!"

Sanji only blinked at him, stunned.

Maybe it wasn't such a common day after all.

* * *

"Luffyyyy~" Usopp whined. "As much as I like the food here—though, it's so damn expensive—when are we going to set sail again?"

"The food here is really delicious!" Nami said with a happy smile, joining her captain on Baratie deck to go inside the restaurant for a late breakfast.

"I enjoy it, too," Zoro agreed, smirking. He also jumped down from the Going Merry.

The sniper's eyebrow twitched. "That's because you don't need to pay for it!" he yelled in anger.

"We second that!" Johnny and Yosaku chimed in.

Luffy smiled at his long-nosed nakama. "It's just for a couple more days until I can convince Sanji to join us. His food is the best!"

Usopp sighed in surrender, checked his wallet again and trailed after his crew to the other side of the restaurant where the main entrance was located.

"Whoa!" they all let out a surprised shout as they rounded the corner and saw a gigantic ship bobbing right next to Baratie.

A loud laugh drew all their attention to the entrance. There was a tall, bulky man with a dark brown fur-lined cape standing in the doorway. The pirates stopped right behind him, unable to enter.

"Excuse me," Luffy called, "let us through." But he was completely ignored. It didn't seem that the man even noticed them.

"I'm ordering you." They heard the stranger growling out menacingly. "Nobody disobeys my orders."

Luffy's face darkened. He lifted his leg and kicked the stranger right in his butt with a considerable amount of strength, snapping in annoyance, "Move, you jerk!"

The man flew across the restaurant and crashed into the spiral staircase in the middle of the hall.

Nami facepalmed. Usopp suddenly felt that he'd contracted the I-can't-go-into-this-restaurant disease and Zoro just smirked, enjoying the fact that his captain started yet another fight.

Luffy's gaze drifted to the side and he perked up as he noticed a familiar man in gray and green, kneeling on the floor. "Hey, Gin!" he greeted him cheerfully. "Nice to see you again! Did you meet your captain already?"

Gin stared at his goofy grin, completely stumped. "Yes," he replied slowly. "You just kicked him."

Luffy glanced at the figure, slumped at the base of the staircase, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oops."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** An Oath Made on the White Blade


	17. An Oath Made on the White Blade

 

Luffy's gaze drifted to the side and he perked up as he noticed a familiar man in gray and green, kneeling on the floor. "Hey, Gin!" he greeted him cheerfully. "Nice to see you again! Did you meet your captain already?"

Gin stared at his goofy grin, completely stumped. "Yes," he replied slowly. "You just kicked him."

Luffy glanced at the figure, slumped at the base of the staircase, then rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oops."

A sheer silence settled on the restaurant as everyone gawked at the straw-hatted boy in a complete disbelief, while he surveyed his surroundings with a distinct lack of nervousness.

Luffy narrowed his eyes at Gin, noticing how he held his right shoulder as if it had been hurt. Then he looked around the room, taking in the Baratie staff's positions and the abandoned tables with spilled drinks and unfinished food. Finally, his gaze stopped on Sanji, who was sitting on the floor with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The man Luffy kicked suddenly roared in pure fury, climbing to his feet and sneering at the young pirates. "You'll pay for that with your life! I'm the fleet admiral of fifty pirate ships and the commander of five thousand men! The only one worthy of the title 'Don'!" he yelled, his voice booming throughout the whole restaurant. "You damn worms think you can defy me?! I'm the strongest!"

Krieg ripped his own shirt off, revealing the gold colored armor underneath it. His sneer transformed into an evil smile. "Now, die," he snarled at the black-haired youth in front of him, laughing madly as he drew twin double-barreled pistols, and his armor's shoulder-plates and waist compartments opened to display more guns.

Nami and Usopp yelped and scurried to one side while Zoro ducked to another, grabbing Gin by his jacket collar and dragging him out of harm's way. Luffy, however, didn't move from his spot. As the sound of the first shots echoed in the air, he closed his eyes.

When Krieg finally stopped shooting, the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling were riddled with bullets, causing a cloud of dust to cover the restaurant's entrance. The man laughed maniacally. "That's what you get for going against me!" he spat out, smirking contently.

"Luffy…" Usopp whispered, horrified.

Nami's hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the dust cloud with wide eyes. Zoro glared at the enemy captain. He gripped the hilt of his white katana and slowly drew it out.

"Whew, so much dust!" a cheerful voice came from behind Don Krieg, startling everyone. They whipped their heads and blinked in shock at the straw-hatted boy standing there without a scratch, a wide grin on his face. "You missed."

"Luffy!" Nami and Usopp exclaimed, relief washing over them, and Zoro simply smirked, sheathing his katana.

"Don't get cocky because you dodged one attack! I've won every single battle I've been in!" Krieg shouted into the younger captain's face. "This body of steel, tougher than anyone else's! This steel armor—" Luffy rolled his eyes. "—more powerful than that of anyone! My entire body-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. You really like to talk," the rubber boy interrupted all of a sudden. "So, tell me, was it you who hurt Gin?"

"He dared to question my actions! No one is allowed to—"

Luffy cut the older man off again with another question, "You attacked my cook, too?"

"Oi!" Sanji protested. "I'm not your cook!"

Krieg bellowed with laughter. "Yeah, it was me! And what are you gonna do, boy, eh?!"

The teen pursed his lips into a thin line, his obsidian eyes burning with fury. Without any warning, he swung his fist straight into the older pirate's mug, sending him sprawling back at the entrance where he originally had been standing. "I'm gonna kick your ass," Luffy deadpanned before smiling smugly. "Oh, wait. I already did that a few minutes ago."

All the people around them snorted, trying to hold their laughter in. Some of them chuckled, remembering Krieg suddenly flying across the restaurant.

"I guess I'll have to settle on beating you into a bloody pulp," Luffy announced, cracking his knuckles.

Krieg heaved himself from the floor and bared his teeth at the kid. But before he could say anything, a huge bag was put in front of him.

"Owner Zeff!" the Baratie staff gasped.

"There's enough food here for a hundred people," an old man with a toque as tall as he was said calmly. "So, hurry up and bring it to your men."

The pirate captain's eyes grew wide. "Did… Did they just say 'Zeff'?"

Luffy frowned. "Oi, cook-ossan, if he goes to feed his crew, I won't be able to fight him," he complained, ignoring the other cooks yelling their discontent with giving food for pirates.

Zeff looked at him. "I can't ignore one hundred starving people. Pirates or not."

Luffy tilted his head, then nodded. "Good point," he agreed. "I'll wait then." He made his way to one of the tables and sat down, pulling a plate of soup towards himself.

Don Krieg still gawked at the Baratie owner. "Y-You're Red-Leg Zeff!" he stammered out. "So you were alive… The peerless captain and cook of his own pirate crew, Red-Leg Zeff."

"So what if I'm alive?" Zeff countered.

"Eh, cook-ossan was a pirate…?" mumbled the straw-hatted teen around a mouthful of the steak he'd grabbed from the nearby table.

Zoro plopped down next to his captain, drinking from a sake bottle he lifted from one of the abandoned tables. Nami and Usopp came around the room, avoiding the enemy pirate that was too busy with his monologuing to notice them.

"Luffy, what are you doing?" Nami asked, confused.

"Waiting," the teen answered. "Eating," he added, stretching his hand to snatch another plate from another table. "Eating while waiting," he finally stated, stuffing food into his mouth.

"Oh, free food!" Usopp cheered, joining his crewmates at the table.

The navigator sighed, looking at the younger boy. "Can you beat him?"

Luffy shot her a quick glimpse, then continued his meal. "That Kidney guy?"

"Krieg," Nami corrected.

"Yeah, no problem. Oi, Usopp, that was mine!"

"Not anymore!"

Nami glanced at Don Krieg worriedly. The pirate was still engrossed in his conversation with Zeff, though the words from her companions made it hard to hear anything from them.

"You jerk! Take that!" Luffy exclaimed and a moment later burst into laughter.

"Geh!" the long-nosed teen yelped. "Now you made the great captain Usopp angry! Take it back!"

Zoro growled menacingly. "Usopp…!"

"Sorry, Zoro!" the sharpshooter squeezed out between the fits of laughter. "Nooo! Don't throw it at me again!"

As it became clear that the head chef and pirate's exchange wouldn't be erupting into a fight, Nami turned back to her crew. "Guys, what are you–" A sticky octopus suddenly smashed into her face. The laughter stopped. She stood still for a second, easing her anger down, then lifted her hand and slowly ripped the octopus off, at the same time wondering where the heck they even got the thing from. The navigator glared at the boys who observed her intently.

"It was him," Luffy and Usopp both stated in unison, pointing fingers at the swordsman.

"You started it!" Zoro bristled, pointing his own finger at Luffy.

"But Usopp continued it!"

The sharpshooter shook his finger at his green-haired nakama. "It was you who threw the octopus at Nami."

"Usopp is right. You're still at fault, Zoro," the captain agreed.

The swordsman scowled. "Oi!"

Sanji stepped closer, all the fuss finally drawing his attention. "Stop playing with food, you dipshits," he warned aggressively, but once he turned to Nami all the hostility melted away and the blonde kneeled on one knee. "Oh, my fair lady, let me take it off your lovely hands~!"

The navigator facepalmed. "Idiots…"

"Silence, you numbskulls!" Zeff hollered out at his staff, snapping everyone's attention at him.

The pirates (and thief) only now noticed that Krieg was gone. Luffy's gaze shifted to Gin, who was still seated on the floor where Zoro had left him. The man was trembling with his head bowed.

"Have any of you ever been hungry enough to die?" Zeff continued angrily. "Do any of you know just how terrifying and painful it is to be stuck on this ocean, deprived of food and water?"

Sanji quietly lit up a new cigarette and blew out a puff of smoke, his eyes locked on the ceiling.

Luffy scrunched his face like he tasted something very sour. A nasty feeling churned in the bottom of his stomach, and he pushed away a full plate he'd just collected, suddenly not so hungry anymore. Zoro was the only one to see it, and he said nothing.

"W-what do you mean, owner?" asked one of the cooks.

"The difference between all of you and Sanji is that he knows that feeling."

Luffy glanced at the blonde chef, then heaved a heavy sigh. "I just want to beat that guy," the rubber man declared nonchalantly, motioning at the door where Krieg disappeared. "He annoys me."

"Are you insane?!" Gin cried out, desperation seeping from his voice. "Haven't you realized how strong the Don is?! You all need to run away while you still can!"

The straw-hatted pirate cocked his head to the side. "Why are you so worried about us, Gin?" he inquired after a moment, peering straight into the older man's eyes.

The latter lowered his head, unable to withstand that soul-piercing stare.

Luffy smiled. "As I've said, you're a good guy," he stated. "Remember what I'd told you back on my ship?" The teen paused, allowing the man a moment to recall his words. When Gin's eyes suddenly widened, Luffy smirked darkly. "I have a lot of complaints about your captain now. Besides, he attacked my nakama, and I won't let that slide."

Sanji clicked his tongue in annoyance. "You're talking about me again, aren't you?"

The young captain simply shot him an innocent smile.

"But the kid is right," the blonde concurred. "Feeding the hungry is what being a cook is all about. However, the ones who're coming to attack this ship are those who've already been fed." Sanji fixed Gin with a menacing glare. "If someone is planning to take over this restaurant, then I'll kill that person without a second thought. Got that?"

Gin gulped nervously. He stared at the cooks, seeing determination and stubbornness burning fiercely in their eyes.

"Shishishishi…" Luffy chuckled quietly. "Our cook is so cool, right?" he said to Usopp, a perfectly D-shaped grin plastered on his face.

"Who cares about him now?!" the sniper snapped. "Are you really gonna fight Don Krieg?!"

"Yep!"

"Can you at least think a bit before replying?!" Usopp pleaded, eliciting a joyful laughter from his captain.

"I'm actually wondering about the man who defeated Krieg's whole fleet," Nami said. "Can you tell us anything, Gin?"

The man paled just from hearing that question. His eyes were cast down as he spoke, "He just appeared out of nowhere… Our ships sank one by one… And if it weren't for that storm that whisked us away, even our main ship would have sunk. I don't even want to think about what happened… How could our entire fleet be defeated by a single man?!" Gin cried out before his shoulders hunched up and he folded his arms tightly around his body. "That man… His stare pierces through you, like the eyes of a hawk!"

"What?!" Zoro abruptly jumped from his seat. "The man with hawk eyes?"

Luffy looked at his swordsman. "You know him?"

"He's the man I've been looking for…" Zoro exhaled, sitting down again. Luffy hummed in understanding, keeping his gaze on him.

"Maybe he had some kind of grudge to settle with you guys," Sanji wondered.

"I don't remember anything like that!" Gin denied.

Zeff suddenly let out a short amused laugh. "Perhaps you disturbed his afternoon nap…" he suggested, smirking under his long braided moustaches.

"Bullshit!" the pirate screamed. "You mean to tell me he destroyed our entire fleet for that?!"

Luffy giggled. "I heard that stuff like that happens at the Grand Line. I'm so excited!" A huge grin split his face in two, his eyes closed in bliss as he rocked himself to the side. "Ah! Can't wait to finally go there!"

Usopp scowled before reprimanding, "Can't you be more concerned about our safety?!"

A predatory smirk appeared on Zoro's face. "Now, I've no qualms going to the Grand Line." His fingers curled around his white katana hilt. "Knowing that 'that man' is there as well!"

Loud cheers exploded somewhere outside, and most people inside cringed. Usopp turned to the straw-hatted boy and whined in a pleading tone, "Luffy~…"

Luffy ignored him, though, instead was staring into the side wall with a serious expression on his face. He knitted his brow into a frown as he glanced at Zoro.

"Are you morons?" Sanji jibed. "You must be those who rush to their deaths."

"You might be right, but it's none of your business," the swordsman replied coolly, fixing the blond chef with a steady and determined stare. "Ever since I decided to become the world's greatest swordsman, I threw away my attachment to life. I'm the only one who can say that I'm the idiot."

"To fulfill a dream requires some sacrifices," Luffy said as he stood up. "If you're not planning to lift even a finger to achieve it, you might as well stop dreaming." He shot a pointed look at Sanji who gritted his teeth. "But to stop dreaming is the same as to acknowledge a defeat against this world. At least I'll never do that." Luffy flashed a quick confident smile, walking past the blonde and towards the entrance of the restaurant. "I'll become the Pirate King, or I'll die trying. Death is nothing. I'm familiar with worse things than that."

The rubber boy exited the room without a second glance, leaving his words hanging in the air. The way he said it, in a calm and dauntless tone, unwavered by the gravity of those words' meaning, left no place to doubt him. The young pirate's deep conviction settled as a heavy weight on everyone's shoulders.

Sanji balled his fists tight, Luffy's words cutting painfully into his heart. Zeff observed him before a small smile crossed his lips.

Usopp stood up, shaking and sweating profusely. "I-I-I also d-d-don't—"

"Liar," Zoro deadpanned. He lifted himself up from the chair and strolled to the exit.

"Oi! I haven't even said it yet!" the long-nosed teen fumed, trailing after the swordsman.

Nami watched them go, suddenly feeling like she didn't belong here with these people. She wasn't worthy to be their nakama because she gave up her dream a long time ago.

The thief hugged herself. It was time. Nami had to leave, even though she really didn't want to.

* * *

As Zoro crossed the threshold, his eyes immediately landed on his captain, standing to the right and staring intently at the distance. But what surprised the swordsman mostly was that the kid had his metal Bo staff assembled and was gripping it so tight that his knuckles went white.

"Luffy?" Usopp called. It was the first time the sharpshooter saw the rubber boy with a weapon. "Are you worried about Krieg?"

"I'm not worried about that idiot and his goons." Luffy pointed at the distance, not lowering his eyes from it. "I'm worried about _him."_

Both swordsman and sniper followed the direction and squinted at the small boat. When it drew closer, they were able to make out a tall figure with a wide-brimmed black hat decorated with a large plume, and a long, open black coat. Zoro eyes widened as the man pulled a huge black sword from behind his back, swiftly swung it two times and gracefully put it back into its place.

Luffy and Zoro looked at Krieg's galleon ship, while Usopp blinked confused. "Wha… What happened? What did he do?"

The marksman's answer came when Krieg's galleon creaked painfully, and then suddenly separated into three pieces, water rushing between two clean cuts. A huge wave lifted the restaurant ship and almost toppled it over.

"Gyaaaaaaah!" Usopp screamed at the top of his lungs as he lost his footing and was thrown into the air. A rubbery appendage wrapped around him, yanking him back onto the ship. Luffy and Zoro had their arms hooked around the railings until the waves finally subsided.

Urgent shouts echoed from the inside of the Baratie, its owner barking orders for his staff. More panicked yells rang in the galleon's wreckage, its captain's voice the loudest of them all.

"Merry!" Usopp shrieked. "What about Merry?!"

"Nami, Johnny, and Yosaku are taking care of Merry," Luffy replied, his sharp gaze fixed on the stranger in the boat.

The swordsman gripped the railings. "Luffy, is that…?"

The straw-hatted boy glanced at him. "My guess is, yeah. He probably followed Krieg all the way from the Grand Line." He noticed how tense Zoro was, twitching with anticipation and almost smiling. Smiling as if something good was about to happen. His usually composed presence was in a complete turmoil, as though someone suddenly shook the very foundation of the man's existence.

By that moment, the strange, coffin-shaped raft with two green-flamed candles drifted even closer and everyone else also saw the man in it. The cooks were crowding the entrance, staring wide-eyed at the destroyed galleon.

"It's him!" someone from the Krieg's crew screamed. "The one who destroyed our fleet!"

"'Hawk-Eye' Mihawk," Zeff announced, folding his arms in front of him and casually leaning against the wall. "A swordsman above all of the world's swordsmen."

"Zoro," Luffy called. After it fell on deaf ears, he frowned and coldly declared, "You won't win."

That got his swordsman's attention. His head snapped at the captain, an angry expression crossing his features. "Are you saying that I'm _that_ weak?!"

"No," the rubber boy denied, not fazed by the sudden aggression. "I'm saying that he's _that_ much stronger."

Zoro scowled. He observed Mihawk deflecting bullets with a tilt of his sword, fascinated by the grace of such a simple action. "I'm still gonna fight him," he stated.

"Of course. I'm not stopping you," Luffy replied. "But you're not allowed to die."

The green-haired man grinned. "Aye, aye, captain!" He jumped over the railing to the floating platform which previously was a deck of the greatest Krieg's ship. "I've never seen such graceful skill," he said to the world's greatest swordsman.

"A sword without grace is not a powerful one," Mihawk responded.

Johnny and Yosaku came running from the other side of the Baratie ship.

"The ship almost capsized!" Johnny yelled.

"Good thing that Nami-aneki came!" Yosaku added.

"What the heck happened?!" they shouted the question together.

Usopp pointed at the man who right then stepped from his raft and scrutinized the younger swordsman standing in front of him. "That guy cut Krieg's galleon," the long-nosed teen explained.

"WHAT?!" bounty hunters yelled.

"Is Merry okay?" Luffy asked, not removing his eyes from the two swordsmen.

"Merry is fine now," came an answer from Nami as she walked over her captain and stopped by his side. She eyed the Bo staff in Luffy's hand, noticing how his fingers seeming to sink into cold metal, his stiff shoulders and blank, emotionless expression on his usually bright face. The thief frowned. Luffy might have seemed calm, but she guessed that under that unperturbed demeanor raged a real emotional storm.

"It comes from my ambition and a promise to a friend!" Zoro proclaimed loudly, drawing all attention back to him. He had all his three swords out, and his black bandana was tied around his head.

"No one can win against aniki!" Yosaku exclaimed proudly, to which Johnny added, "Aniki's the best!"

"Zoro won't win," Luffy deadpanned.

"What did you say?!"

"You're calling aniki weak?!"

Bounty hunters stomped towards him. "We'll show you how to call aniki weak!"

"Whoa, guys, wait!" Usopp tried to stop them, but he was pushed aside.

When the duo was only a step from Luffy and reached to grab him, the straw-hatted teen suddenly snarled, "Do not touch me." He didn't even turn to face them, but the tone of his voice made two men freeze.

A short distance away, Mihawk stared at his challenger with half-lidded eyes, a small knife in his hand. "Do you really believe that you can win?"

Zoro was silent for a moment. "Probably not," he admitted, recalling his captain's words. "But my ambition would be worth nothing if I didn't even try."

The world's greatest swordsman paused. A satisfied smirk slowly crept on his lips. "Indeed," he said slowly, his sharp yellow eyes now looking differently at his challenger. "Whenever you're ready, youngster."

Zoro shot forward, his three swords gleaming in the sun. Luffy tightened his grip on the Bo staff when Mihawk easily stopped his attack with that tiny knife.

He was used to simply stand on the sidelines and watch people fight and kill each other, forced to do so numerous times. After a while, it didn't bother him anymore, and Luffy seized the opportunity to study those fights. There were no friends in _that place_. Friendship was only a forgotten word, only uttered in the middle of the night to comfort oneself. Every person learned the hard way what it meant to get attached to another. _They_ always used it against them, so everyone avoided it.

This fight was different. Zoro was his nakama. Luffy couldn't just coldly calculate their next moves if he wanted to keep his mind, though, was doing exactly that by sheer habit. His heart was beating madly in his ribcage, and almost stopped as the knife sunk into Zoro's chest. The boy couldn't hear what words passed their lips as they'd spoken too quietly, but something shifted in Mihawk's presence. A respect that was just a small spark till now flared, pushing hostility and scorn away.

"Kid, tell me your name," Mihawk requested as he pulled out the knife from his opponent's chest.

Zoro held his swords in front of him. "Roronoa Zoro."

"I shall remember it, for the strength of your will is not often seen in this world," the man commented, reaching behind him for his huge sword. "And to pay my respect to you as a fellow swordsman, I shall end this duel with my Black Sword, the world's most powerful sword."

The clash between two swordsmen was quick, just a mere blink of an eye. Everyone held their breath as both warriors stood still. There was a crack, and Zoro swords in his hands shattered, pieces clattering sharply on the wood in the deathly silence. Blood spattered from a new gash on his chest.

Luffy's free hand gripped the railing to keep himself in place. Said railing fractured under the inhuman pressure of his fingers when Zoro turned around after sheathing his surviving white katana, and for a brief moment their eyes met—the boy could clearly see an apology written in those silver orbs.

Zoro held up his arms and showed a lopsided grin to the startled Mihawk. "A wound on the back is the swordsman's shame," he said with conviction.

"Splendid!" the man praised with a smile before bringing his sword down.

Luffy didn't move. There was no real murderous intent in Mihawk's action, he knew that he left Zoro alive and the promise to his swordsman not to interfere kept him in place. Although all his being wanted nothing more but to rip out the throat of the man who hurt his nakama.

When Zoro fell into the sea, his treasured sword slipping from his fingers and rolling abandoned on the platform, something inside Luffy exploded before he could take control of his emotions.

"Aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku dived into the water after the fallen swordsman.

As a slight chill suddenly settled in the area, Nami's and Usopp's eyes opened impossibly wide and they instinctually took a step away from their captain. Zeff and Sanji whipped their heads to stare at the boy, surprise and confusion on their faces. The other cooks and pirates were looking around aimlessly, baffled by why they felt so intimidated for no apparent reason.

Mihawk's hand flew to his sword's handle once more when a power wave slammed into his psyche. He instantly swiveled around and zeroed on the assailant – a seemingly unexceptional kid with a straw hat. A very familiar straw hat. Mihawk smirked in amusement. "A friend of the young swordsman, I presume?"

Luffy's glare only intensified. He vanished from his spot and reappeared a few meters in front of the world's greatest swordsman.

The crowd around them let out a surprised gasp, but Mihawk simply eyed him up and down in an open interest. "Fear not, your friend is still alive," he said.

"I know," the straw-hatted pirate replied. "That doesn't change the fact that you'd hurt my nakama."

At that moment, two bounty hunters emerged from the sea with Zoro propped on their shoulders.

Mihawk cocked his eyebrow up. "So, you want to avenge him?"

Luffy tilted his head and thought for a moment. "No," he said at last, a small smirk tugging the edges of his mouth. "Your head belongs to my swordsman. It's his to take. I'm here for his katana."

Hawk-Eye couldn't stop the pleased grin as he scooped Zoro's blade from the ground. "Well said." He faced the restaurant where the two bounty hunters, Usopp, and Nami pulled their wounded friend out of the sea and now fussed around him. "It's much too early for you to die, young one. My name is Dracule Mihawk!" he exclaimed. "Find your true self, your true worth, become stronger! No matter how long it will take, I shall stand at the top of the world and wait for you! Forge ahead with that fierce conviction and surpass my sword! Surpass me, Roronoa Zoro!"

Luffy sighed in relief at the feeling of Zoro's presence fluttering in excitement. Mihawk extended the katana to him and he reached out to take it.

"Boy, what do you aim for?"

"The crown of the Pirate King," he replied without skipping a beat.

"A difficult path, indeed. Even more so than surpassing me."

Luffy flashed a confident grin, fixing his straw hat more firmly on his head. "I'm gonna do it anyways," he said before vanishing again and reappearing next to his fallen nakama.

Zoro hand flew up and grabbed the end of his katana. "L-Luffy…" he croaked out. "Sorry for worrying you… I… I know that if I don't become… the world's strongest swordsman, I… don't deserve to be your crewmember."

Luffy furrowed his brow at those words, keeping steady eye contact with the man on the floor. Tears appeared in Zoro's eyes and he tightened his grasp on the sword. "I'll… I'll never lose again!" he shouted all of a sudden. "Until the day I fight him and win… I swear to never lose again! Any problems with that, Pirate King?!"

"Shishishishi," the rubber boy snickered. "Nope! No complaints." He took off his straw hat, squatted down and put it on Zoro's head, hiding the tears still streaming freely down his face in its shadow. Luffy had to pry the swordsman's fingers off of the blade's sheath with how hard they held it, but he extracted the sword and placed it next to its master. "Now, rest and heal, Zoro. Captain's orders."

Nami let out a long, relieved sigh. "Idiots, stop worrying me so much," she whispered.

Usopp sagged on the floor like his limbs suddenly became jelly while Johnny and Yosaku sobbed uncontrollably, at the same time tending to their aniki's wound.

A sound of gunshots startled Luffy. He jumped to his feet, immediately scanning the surroundings for an imminent threat.

Mihawk had disappeared in a whirlwind, raft and all, as though he were never even there.

"Hmph, gone already..." Don Krieg grunted before erupting into laughter. "Hahahahaha! What a coward!"

Luffy snorted. "Ne, cook-ossan," he called. "They've already eaten, can I beat that fool now?"

Zeff smiled. "Do as you wish."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Choosing One's Path

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you noticed how much Krieg talks? Like, oh my gosh, he never shuts up!


	18. Choosing One's Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an exciting news to share with you, my dear readers: 'Boy With a Scar' has it's own TV Tropes page now! I want to say big THANK YOU to The Patient One from ff.net for creating it :) So, if you're familiar with TV Tropes, go check it out!   
> The link: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/BoyWithAScar

"Hmph, gone already..." Don Krieg grunted before erupting into laughter. "Hahahahaha! What a coward!"

Luffy snorted. "Ne, cook-ossan," he called. "They've already eaten, can I beat that fool now?"

Zeff smiled. "Do as you wish."

"Yosha!" he cheered with a huge, excited grin.

"But before that, kid," the head chef said, observing the young pirate intently. "Do you know that power you've used?"

Luffy stroked his chin in thought, wondering if he should answer or not. "I sometimes lose control of my mystery power," he finally explained, shrugging nonchalantly. "This time it wasn't so bad, I managed to focus it mostly on that hawk-guy." He let out a short laugh. "In the past, people fainted around me. That freaked me out the first time." The boy paused. "Well, the second time. The first time, I hadn't even realized that I used it."

"Mystery power, huh?" Zeff mused, smiling under his moustaches knowingly.

Everyone else, including the bounty hunters, Usopp, and Nami were staring at the straw-hatted boy with squinty eyes as though they were looking directly into the sun. A sound of a gunshot from the shipwreck drew their attention back to Don Krieg, who was yelling at his own crew, at the same time threatening them with the double-barreled pistol.

"Wow, he _really_ likes to talk," Luffy remarked. He disassembled his Bo staff into separate parts and slipped them back into the holster on his lower back.

"O-Oi, kid, don't you need your weapon if you're gonna fight Don Krieg?" one of the cooks asked.

"Against him? Nah. I took it out because I didn't know what the hawk-guy was planning," Luffy informed, gazing back at the opposing captain, who was _still_ talking. Suddenly, a mischievous grin spread on his face. "Oh, I know!" he exclaimed and quickly ducked inside the restaurant.

"Damn pests," Sanji growled, glaring at the Krieg's pirates. "They're gonna attack any minute now." He turned to one of the other cooks and said, "Go to the control room and open up the 'fins'."

"Eh? Are you sure?" the man doubted. "That'll just give out enemies a foothold."

"The geezer won't shut up if we fight inside the restaurant."

"Oh, right. On it!" the man cried out before scrambling to fulfill the request.

A short distance away, Don Krieg was riling up his men for an attack. "Now you understand that they are nothing special?!" he yelled. "That's why we need to get the log from that old man!" He pointed at the head chef, turning to face him. "Red Leg Zeff–" The pirate's speech abruptly broke off when a sticky octopus smacked right into his face. Krieg froze.

"Ha! Bull's-eye!" Luffy cheered as he fist-pumped the air. "Did you see that, Usopp?"

The long-nosed teen flashed a thumbs-up. "Good shot, Luffy!"

Nami simply burst into laughter, soon followed by Johnny, Yosaku, and the Baratie cooks. Stifled snickers could be heard even in Krieg's crew. The more composed pirates elbowed the ones who couldn't manage to stay quiet, in a vain attempt to shut them up.

Krieg stiffly reached for octopus, slowly ripped it off his face and squished it in his palm, a furious sneer distorting his features. With a wild roar, he brought out one of his shoulder plates as a shield in front of him and pointed it at the restaurant's direction. He grinned evilly and muttered, "MH5."

Krieg's crew went into chaos, fumbling around their clothes and yelling in a complete panic.

"Wait, captain, we won't make it on time!"

"Don't use it, please!"

"We're all gonna die!"

The cylinder-shaped projectile shot from the center of the shield with a bang. Krieg instantly whipped out a gas mask and put it on. Some of his crew pulled out their own gas masks, but the not so lucky men assaulted them, trying to grab it for themselves.

The cooks just stared dumbfounded, until Usopp's high-pitched shriek jolted them back into awareness.

"IT'S A POISON GAS!"

But there was no time to hide, especially for young pirates as Zoro was still lying unconscious on the Baratie deck. Some of the people dived into the water, trying to escape imminent doom.

A platform suddenly emerged from the sea, joining with the restaurant's entrance bridge. Luffy instantly sprung forward, using the whole length of it to gain a momentum, and kicked off of the platform as soon as he reached its edge. He did a somersault mid-air, kicking the underside of the gas projectile and sending it high up into the sky where it exploded. Then the rubber boy stretched his arm, grabbed a railing, and pulled himself back onto the ship, landing gracefully in front of the shell-shocked chefs.

A minute ticked by as people, both cooks and pirates alike, were gawking at the unnatural purple cloud high above their heads where it couldn't harm anyone, still unable to shake the idea that they were so close to death. Krieg, however, glared at the straw-hatted kid, hating him even more for averting such a good plan so easily.

"Gin," Luffy's calm voice pierced the silence, "do you still think of that scum as your captain?"

The man flinched from becoming a target of the boy's attention so unexpectedly. Till now he had been hanging around the restaurant's shadows, silently observing what was happening outside. "I…" Gin felt the lack of words as he rolled the question around his head.

"He tried to kill you. He discarded you like an unwanted thing just because his pride was hurt," Luffy stated coldly before turning around and addressing the rest of Krieg's crew. "All of you. He tried to kill all of you."

"Poor sods," Sanji commented, blowing out a puff of smoke. "They really chose the wrong person to follow."

"I-I'm sure the captain wouldn't just have let us die!" one of Krieg's men spoke up.

"Yeah," another agreed. "He would have thought of something, how to protect us."

"The kid is trying to make us betray our Don!"

"Kill him! Kill them all!"

Luffy frowned as the more and more pirates joined into cheering for Don Krieg. They drew their weapons out, shouting battle cries.

"Hahahahaha!" their captain bellowed with laughter. "You see that, brat? They respect me and my decisions! If someone doesn't understand that, they are not worthy to serve under the great captain like me!"

"Respect should be mutual, asshole!" the straw-hatted boy snarled.

Back at the spot where Nami, Usopp, Johnny, and Yosaku were sitting around injured Zoro, the sniper whistled. "The stupidity of those guys is truly remarkable," he commented.

Nami smiled sadly. "Really makes you appreciate our own captain, doesn't it?" she muttered under her breath.

As if to prove her words true, once the enemy crew began advancing on restaurant, Luffy's order rang sharply amid the noise of the crowd: "Nami, Usopp, protect Zoro!"

Usopp jumped to his feet and proudly puffed his chest, jabbing a thumb at himself. "Leave it to me!"

"I don't… I don't need protection," Zoro slurred, stirring from his unresponsive state.

"Waaah! Aniki! Don't move!" the hunter duo cried out in alarm.

Zoro managed to lift his body up a little and lean on his elbows.

Nami scowled. "Of course, you need protection in this state," she declared in a matter-of-fact tone before slapping a palm on the swordsman's chest, not so gently, and pushing him back down. "So, just stay down, you Neanderthal."

"Aaaaaah!" Johnny and Yosaku shrieked, seeing how the orange-haired girl handled their aniki. "Nami-aneki! Be more careful!"

Zoro cringed as the pain surged through his body. "You… damn witch…" he ground out words through clenched teeth. Luffy's straw hat slipped from his head and landed a bit farther from them.

"Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the thief warned Usopp who at that moment reached to pick the hat, stopping him mid-move.

"Eh?"

"As far as I know, Zoro is the only one allowed to touch it."

The sniper eyed the straw hat like it had personally insulted him. "But we're his nakama!" he exclaimed.

"I saw how he reacts to others trying to touch it. I doubt Luffy would do that to us, but better be safe than sorry." Nami shivered as she remembered Luffy's ruthlessness because of that thing and shook her head. "No, I'm not touching it."

Zoro sniggered, recalling his own first experience with picking up Luffy's straw hat from the ground. He pulled it closer by the brim, then put it on his head again. He would safeguard the future Pirate King's hat proudly until the latter would be done with his fight.

* * *

After Luffy gave the order to his crew and got an affirmation from Usopp, he turned to Krieg again who was smiling with contentment, watching as his men began to swim towards the platform and climb onto it. The cooks gathered behind the black-haired pirate with their weapons at a ready.

"Last chance to take your crew and go if you want to live, Krill!" Luffy yelled to Don causing him to sputter death threats and fume how stupid the kid was that he couldn't get his name right.

"You shouldn't insult the man if you want him to back off," Sanji pointed out, unable to stop an amused smile from spreading on his face.

The rubber boy grinned wickedly. "Too bad. I've warned him, though."

"No, stop!" Gin suddenly shouted with a wide, concerned eyes staring at Luffy. "You can't hope to beat Don!"

"Hahahaha! Listen to my Battle Commander, brat! You're an idiot to believe that you can even touch me!" Krieg scoffed.

Luffy simply stared at the other captain. "And I thought that the guy at Usopp's village was bad, but at least he had some kind of passion inside him, twisted and sick as it may have been," he said before his whole demeanor suddenly changed – his carefree manner melted away, shoulders straightened up, eyes unmercifully cold and dark. "But you… You're empty. Blinded with too much pride. Just like _them_." Luffy spat the last word out like it was something extremely nasty on his tongue.

"Oi, shrimp, don't talk like that with our captain!" a random pirate threatened, coming closer with his saber out.

The teen shot a glare at him for a briefest of moments, but it was long enough to make the man freeze and starting sweating. "You're right. I'm done talking or listening to him," Luffy stated and vanished.

Krieg had only a split second to blink when a punch into his gut sent him skidding backward. It didn't harm him because of his armor's protection, which made the pirate roar with laughter. "You can't make even a dent in my–!" Another impact in his protected stomach interrupted him. Krieg gritted his teeth in anger, lifted his shield and released a round of short steel spears.

Zeff hummed as he observed the fight. "He's dangerous," he murmured.

"Of course Krieg's dangerous," Sanji replied, nervously chewing on his cigarette. "He wouldn't be worth 17 million beli if he wasn't."

"I'm talking about the kid, numbskull!" the old man huffed. "I don't envy those who cross his path and become his enemy. Guys like that are the worst enemies you can have. They stop at nothing to reach their goal."

Luffy weaved around the projectiles with ease and soon Krieg ran out of ammo. None of them even grazed the black-haired boy.

"Argh! Enough!" Krieg yelled in frustration, whipping his hand in front of him and throwing several small bombs around the rubber boy.

Luffy quickly jumped on the nearby piece of wreck, avoiding an impact. When bombs exploded, he leaped high into the air and stretched both his arms far behind him.

The crowd erupted into surprised shouts.

Krieg sneered and suddenly pulled out a cape covered with sharp spikes. "Why don't you try hitting my porcupine cape?!" he challenged with a confident smirk on his face.

"Watch that boy carefully, Sanji," Zeff ordered, smiling. "In life and death fights, there is no place for hesitation. The one who fears death and hesitates for even an instant shall fall for their doom."

Sanji knitted his brow in contemplation. "What do you mean by that?"

"Within that boy lies no hesitation."

Luffy's arms snapped straight into Krieg's stomach ignoring the dangerous cape entirely. He didn't even blink as the spikes pierced his fists, the stoic expression on his face not changing in a slightest.

An impact sent Krieg flying and he smashed into his old ship's mast, breaking it in half and causing a huge cloud of debris to scatter in the air.

Luffy halted, staring at the cloud. Blood from his wounded hands slowly dripped on the destroyed galleon's deck.

Everyone held their breath.

Suddenly the teen sent his both arms backward again. "Gomu Gomu no…" he muttered.

With an enraged roar, Krieg emerged from the dust cloud, holding a huge spear in his hands. He swung it towards his opponent, the spear's blade singing while soaring through the air.

Luffy shot forward. "…Bazooka!" The rubber arms whipped into the same spot he'd targeted till now, but this time the armor protecting the older pirate's abdomen shattered, pieces of it flying in all directions, and the strike connected to his stomach.

Krieg coughed up blood. His spear slipped from his fingers and his body was thrown back again. Before he could drop into the sea below, Luffy grabbed him by his shirt with a stretched arm and swung him in a huge arc into the Baratie platform, making the pirates and cooks scurry to the sides with scared screams.

Krieg groaned and slightly opened his eyes. The black-haired teen was next to him, his merciless obsidian eyes staring down straight into Krieg's own as he wound back his fist for a finishing blow.

Krieg's heart almost stopped as the realization hit him. "Wait–!" he managed to croak out before the powerful attack hit his exposed chest.

The crunching sound of his bones breaking was deafening.

"I said that I was done talking or listening to you," Luffy remarked darkly a moment later as he stood up.

An absolute silence settled in the area, spectators too speechless from what just had happened in front of their eyes. Luffy's own crew gawked at him completely stunned by his action. They knew that Luffy sometimes could get ruthless, but none of them ever believed that the kid could actually kill somebody intentionally. The way he did it showed that it wasn't even his first kill.

"Now, he's no longer the strongest," Luffy stated coldly, looking at the former Krieg's crew. Then he turned and fixed his soul-piercing eyes on Gin. "Gin, you're free."

Nami visibly flinched from his words, even if they weren't intended to her.

Gin, however, was unable to comprehend what the young pirate captain was saying. "…What?" he asked.

"You're free," Luffy repeated patiently. "From him," he added, motioning at the body next to his feet.

"What… What should I do now?"

A dreamy grin spread on the rubber boy's face. "That's what freedom is about – doing whatever you want, and not what somebody else wants. You'll figure it out, I'm sure. Bye, Gin." He turned to go, but something shiny on Krieg's gauntlet caught his eye. Luffy pulled it off the man's hand and without a second glance walked away, leaving the cooks to deal with the rest of the pirates.

"Luffy-aniki!" Johnny and Yosaku cried out. "You've beaten Don Krieg!"

"If not for that weird cape thing, he would have lost one hit earlier. And I really wanted to shatter his armor," Luffy said nonchalantly, like it was not such a big deal at all. "Zoro, how're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," the swordsman responded with a grunt.

The black-haired boy hummed softly, satisfied with his reply. "Nami, this thing's shiny." He tossed the gauntlet to his navigator. "Maybe it's worth something."

The thief furrowed her brow in deep concentration as he studied the gems. Suddenly her face lit up. "Diamonds! True diamonds!" she squealed in delight, hugging the gauntlet.

Usopp frowned at the captain's fists. Blood was still oozing from many puncture wounds. "Luffy, sit," he ordered quietly. "I'll help you bandage your hands."

Luffy obeyed wordlessly, plopped down next where Zoro was seated and leaned against the wall mimicking him. The swordsman took the straw hat off and put it on the boy's head.

Luffy flashed him a tired smile. "Thanks, Zoro."

"No problem, captain."

Usopp squatted down in front of Luffy and dipped a cotton piece in a medicine to clean his injuries. "It'll sting a bit," he warned, then carefully touched one of the wound, but Luffy didn't even wince or showed any other sign of discomfort. The sniper briefly glanced at the cotton piece to make sure that he got medicine on it.

"I really thought you'd gonna invite that Gin guy to join our crew," Zoro admitted, watching how the former Krieg's crew surrendered now without any real fight.

Luffy hummed again. "Gin's a good guy. He didn't deserve that jerk as his captain," he said, his gaze shifting to the man in question. "But now he's lost and needs to find his own dream and goal." He paused. "Besides, who would want to work with a man who killed a person you respected and cared about?"

Nami chuckled bitterly. "No one."

The straw-hatted teen nodded. "And that's why I haven't invited him."

They sat there in a comfortable silence. Usopp finished bandaging Luffy's hands when a shout drew their attention to the sea.

"Hey, Straw Hat!" Gin was standing on the bowsprit of the boat which was fully occupied by the former Krieg's goons. The man smiled when Luffy's eyes met his. "Let's meet again out on the Grand Line!"

"EEEEHHHHHHH?!" the crew behind him let out a surprised screech.

"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled as he waved his hand in goodbye. "Yep! See ya!"

"What are you talking about, Commander?!" one of former Krieg's men yelled.

"We're going back there after all?!" another added.

Gin turned to look at the crew, who were staring at him in horror. "We'll go, but not now. First, we need to get stronger. Let this," he motioned at the wreckage of their former ship, "be a lesson for us."

"But, Commander~!" somebody whined.

"Oi," one man elbowed his neighbor. "Gin is not the Commander anymore, is he?" The rest of them stared at the speaker, then everyone turned their heads to the man on the bowsprit.

"Captaaaaaain~!" their collective whine was heard even at the Baratie from which their almost sinking boat had been slowly drifting away.

* * *

Zeff had offered a room for Zoro to rest in and then invited the rest of them to the dinner. For their help defending the Baratie, he had said. While their injured nakama snored blissfully in his room after he had been checked over by one of the cooks who had a bit of medical knowledge, and guarded by his two loyal followers, the crew came to eat and found out that there were no chairs for them to sit on. Sanji was already settled on the floor, fuming against his co-workers. Nami got pissed and demanded a place to sit, so Sanji simply kicked one of the cooks into the wall and offered his chair to her. Meanwhile, Usopp was simply cheering for a chance to eat for free again and Luffy didn't care at all where exactly he was eating.

The soup was one of the best things they'd ever had. And as such, the pirates (and the thief) stared in total bafflement as the restaurant's owner followed his staff members ' example and also smashed his plate onto the floor.

"What's with this disgusting soup? Is it supposed to taste like sludge?" the head chef insulted Sanji. "We'd go out of business if we served this to the customers!"

That was the last straw for the blonde cook as he grabbed his mentor by his shirt and shook him. "Don't joke with me, you damned geezer!" he yelled in fury. "How's this any different from the soup you make?!"

"The soup I make…?" Zeff growled through gritted teeth. "Don't get cocky!" he shouted, planting a punch into the younger man's face. "It's a hundred years too early for a lil' eggplant like you to be comparing my soup with yours! I've cooked all around the world!"

Sanji spat a blood and glared at Zeff from where he fell on the floor. The latter glared back.

"Isn't that convenient?" a jaunty voice chimed in. Everyone snapped their eyes at Luffy who was grinning happily. "It's your chance to go around the world, Sanji! Come with me!"

"I've already told you NO!" the blonde exclaimed, frustrated. "How many times do I need to refuse you until you get it, shitty bastard?!"

Luffy's eyebrows bent into an annoyed scowl.

"Luffy, I don't think he wants to join…" Usopp pointed out in a hushed tone.

"Alright, it's time to get serious, then," the teen deadpanned, standing up. His straw hat shadowed his eyes, his lips were pulled into a thin line as he slowly walked over Sanji.

The cook tensed up, the way the kid had dealt with Krieg still fresh in his mind. Zeff, however, only smirked.

Luffy pointed a finger at the man on the floor and firmly stated, "It's me who refuses!"

Sanji only blinked dumbly. "...Eh? You refuse? Refuse what?"

"I refuse your refusal!"

There was a deathly silence before the blonde suddenly jumped on his feet and got in the pirates's face. "Are you a complete idiot?!" he screamed. "I'm not gonna leave until that shitty geezer acknowledges my cooking!"

Luffy turned slightly to the side and now was pointing at Zeff. "I also refuse your lies," he declared matter-of-factly.

The head chef's shook his head, still smiling. "You're fearfully observant brat," he said. Luffy flashed an innocent smirk.

That made Sanji pause. "Huh?" His confused gaze darted back and forth between the teen and his mentor.

"Sanji," Zeff called softly. "I don't have anything else to teach you, you're already the best here. You need to travel the world, to cook on other seas, to learn about different cuisines and spices to get better. You need to follow your– no, _our_ dream, and find All Blue!"

Sanji stared at him with his mouth agape and eyes wide with shock, until Luffy slapped him on his back, hard.

"Good news!" the straw-hatted teen cheered. "We're leaving to travel the world and find One Piece tomorrow. Wanna join?"

Sanji shot a glare at the kid for the slap. Then sighed, pulled a new cigarette and lit it up. For a while, he smoked while staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. "Fine," he finally said, his one uncovered blue eye finding the obsidian orbs of Luffy. "I'll join you… captain."

The grin he received from his new captain could have extinguished the sun itself with its brightness.

* * *

Nami was leaning on Going Merry's railing, lazily twiddling the gold colored gauntlet in her hand. The diamonds on it sometimes caught the light from the lone oil lamp, standing at her left.

It was almost midnight. The ship was empty. The rest of the crew was sleeping inside the restaurant tonight, crowding the room where the owner had allowed Zoro to rest. After Sanji agreed to join, at last, Luffy announced that they were leaving for the Grand Line early in the morning.

The thief sighed. With these diamonds, she definitely had the necessary amount of beli to pay Arlong for her village. She didn't need to go to the Grand Line anymore, not for the money at least. And during this short trip with Luffy, Nami realized how naïve she had been, believing that she could handle that part of the ocean alone. She would need to stick close to the boys and they would certainly not want to go back to the East Blue before reaching their dreams or perishing on their path there.

Nami twisted the gauntlet, marveled by the light's reflection on the gems. Maybe the boys would agree to deal with Arlong for her?

As soon as that thought came to her mind, the image of their broken, bloody bodies lying at that despicable Fishman's feet flashed before Nami's eyes, the mocking laughter 'Shahahaha!' soon echoing in her ears. The navigator shuddered.

"Stupid…!" she berated herself, lowering her head on her forearm.

"Who are you calling stupid?"

Nami jumped from fright, feeling her heart almost leaping out. The gauntlet juggled in her hands until she managed to secure it by pressing it to her chest. The thief spun around and glowered at the grinning straw-hatted idiot. "You! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she fumed.

"Shishishishi… Sorry, sorry," Luffy apologized, and for once he actually sounded sorry. Amused, but sorry nonetheless.

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep in that room. I feel better… safer here." Luffy slowly brushed his fingers across Merry's railings. "This ship… it's our home now, you know?"

Nami stared at the boy's serene face with a soft smile curled on his lips. It was so strange seeing him like that. It reminded her of that night when she cried into his chest after the nightmare. Considering that, Nami finally asked the question that had been bothering her since that very night.

"Why did you become a pirate, Luffy?"

The teen looked up, his eyes locking with hers. "At first it was an ambition, a promise to a friend. After…" He frowned slightly, as though he were trying to work out the correct wording, unconsciously placing a hand on the left side of his neck where the scar was hidden under his black bandana. "After something bad happened to me, I couldn't become anything else even if I wanted to. Pirates are free, Nami!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed with a wide, toothy grin. "They are free to go wherever they want, do whatever they want whenever they want!"

"Yeah, like destroy towns and kill people," the navigator scoffed, causing the rubber boy's grin fall.

"There are pirates like that," he agreed calmly. "But there are also those who would sacrifice their own arm to save a child from becoming a dinner to a sea monster," Luffy reminisced while gently caressing the rim of his straw hat, all his wistfulness and affection in the motion. "Also, pirates can save an innocent man from execution by the Marines, or good men and their homes from a bunch of other pirates." He smiled softly at Nami and added, "Or save a girl from a bully."

The thief's eyes widened, wondering if Luffy had suspected something about her. "W-What do you mean by that?" she asked, trying to keep her voice even.

The straw-hatted teen gave her a peculiar stare. "The situation we had found you in, what else?"

Nami let out a short bitter laugh. "Oh, right."

Some part of her mind wished that Luffy would have actually found out about a tie-up between Arlong and her; that he would corner her into telling him everything so that she wouldn't need to leave. The same image of their decimated corpses at Arlong's feet slivered into her mind. Feeling a sting of tears in her eyes, she quickly turned around.

"You can go to sleep, I'll keep watch," the navigator stated, unable to fully keep a shaking from her tone.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, of course. It's just… today was full of surprises!"

Nami felt Luffy linger behind her a bit longer, his heavy gaze drilling at the back of her head.

"Okay…" he finally conceded. Silent footsteps receded towards the main mast, after a moment the latch into boy's room was opened. "But, Nami," Luffy called, "you know that if you need help you can simply ask me, right?"

"Of course!"

The captain stared at the thief, unimpressed by her wide, fake grin she'd sent to him over her shoulder, but he didn't push it. With a quiet "Good night, Nami," he was gone.

Nami heaved a heavy sigh, twiddling the gauntlet and absentmindedly watching the playful reflection of the oil lamp's light on the surface of the diamonds.

Tonight she would leave.

Nami was planning to steal the Going Merry earlier that day, but she got worried after those freaky waves came out of nowhere. Now, with the captain sleeping on his own ship instead of the restaurant, that option was out of the question. Besides, with how fondly Luffy was speaking of it, the thief doubted that he would have just let it go. He would have probably hunted her down to get Merry back.

Her gaze wandered to the boat of the bounty hunters. That would do. She'd have to move all the treasure to it once Luffy fell asleep. Nami hoped that his sleep would be free from nightmares tonight.

The thief's hand moved to her mouth to muffle the sobs as tears finally began streaming down her face. "I want to be free… Please, help me…" she pleaded in a whisper, knowing well that it was too hushed even for Luffy to hear, but she couldn't stop those words from escaping her.

* * *

**Next Chapter:** The Runaway Nakama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I guess, the Baratie arc is pretty much done. The Arlong Park arc is coming next. Who's excited? I know, I am!


	19. The Runaway Nakama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you The Patient One for his betareading, suggestions, and all the other help!

 

Luffy jolted from his sleep and almost toppled over the edge of his hammock. His fingers instinctively curled around the rim of his straw hat which had been previously resting on his chest. His heart was racing inside his ribcage like a scared bird while his eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. When his mystery power sensed one of his nakama above him, the teen latched onto that feeling with all his might.

After a moment, Luffy calmed down. He shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, put the straw hat on top of his head, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Usopp was on the main deck of Going Merry together with Johnny and Yosaku. He could even hear their muffled voices if he tried hard enough. A bit farther, he sensed Sanji with other cooks. Zoro's familiar aura shone like a beacon nearby, easily distinguished among others.

A small frown etched on Luffy's brow. He couldn't find Nami. Spreading his powers as far as he was able to, the young pirate finally caught the flicker of his navigator's presence quite a way from their current spot. It seemed that she was moving away from them, because her aura slowly disappeared over the boundary of his powers.

Luffy jumped from the hammock and quickly climbed up the ladder.

"What do you mean your boat was stolen?" he heard Usopp asking as soon as the hatch was open. "We're in the middle of the ocean. There is nobody else around, only us and the cooks."

It was still very early morning. Only a bit more than half of the sun peeked over the horizon, illuminating the surroundings with its soft golden light.

"We're telling you, Usopp-aniki!" Johnny exclaimed, wildly flailing his arms towards the direction where their boat had been tied up. "It's gone!"

"Yeah!" Yosaku agreed. "We searched around the Baratie, and the rope was definitely cut off!"

"Ah!" the sniper suddenly gasped, looking around with frightened expression. "M-Maybe some of Krieg's men are still hiding somewhere here waiting for us to lower our guards so that they could–!" Usopp's eyes fell on his captain and he perked up. "Luffy!"

"None of Krieg's men are still here," Luffy said, hopping out of the hole and closing the hatch. "But Nami is missing."

The long-nosed teen blinked in surprise. "What? But I saw her like an hour ago…" he trailed off, tapping his chin with one of his fingers. "She was acting a bit weird, though. Wait!" He ran off into the storage room.

"So, Nami-aneki stole our ship?" Johnny mumbled in discontent.

"All the treasure is gone too!" Usopp announced, emerging from the ship's inside.

"Putting all that aside," Luffy spoke, "Nami might need our help. Let's go meet with Zoro and Sanji and decide how we're going to find her."

"Need help?" Yosaku inquired.

A frown on the captain's face deepened. "Yeah. Something is up," he said, letting his gaze wander along the horizon. "And I have a bad feeling about it."

* * *

Zoro groaned in annoyance, leaning on the wall as he sat on his bed, his remaining white katana propped against his shoulder. "If that woman ran away, why we should go after her?" he stated. "Just let her go. No good will come chasing after that thief."

"Oi, oi," Sanji growled, flicking the ash of his cigarette out of the open window. "If the beautiful Nami-san is not in this crew, I lose ninety percent of my reason to stay with you."

"Like I care, punk," the swordsman retorted.

The blond took a step towards Zoro. "What did you say?!"

The other man stood up from the bed, his hand itching to draw his blade. "I said what I said. Want to fight?"

"Zoro-aniki! Cook-aniki!" Yosaku and Johnny exclaimed. "This is not the time to start bickering!"

Luffy huffed, but said nothing, choosing instead just to stare at his green-haired nakama. His expression was smooth and placid, but his steady and determined gaze from under the straw hat was a challenge, reminding Zoro the first time he had been stared down like that by the same person.

Unable to hold his captain's eyes any longer, Zoro looked away.

"I'm the captain," Luffy began and both young men instantly stepped away from each other. "Zoro is the swordsman. Usopp – the sniper. Sanji – the cook. And Nami is our navigator. We stick together no matter what. If one of us needs help, the rest of us help them. No questions asked."

Usopp hummed in thought. "Why do you think that Nami needs help? Isn't she the thief who steals from pirates?" he asked.

The straw-hatted shrugged before stating offhandedly, "Just a feeling."

Zoro sighed. "Your mystery power again, huh?" he asked, getting a wide grin as his only answer. "Fine, then." The swordsman strapped his katana to his waist. "Let's go and find our navigator."

Luffy leaped to his feet, fist-pumping the air, and exclaimed joyfully, "Set sail to get Nami back!"

"NAMI-SAAAAAN!" Sanji cried out at the top of his lungs, sticking his head out through the window. "Your knight is coming to save you, Nami-san! Wait for me!"

"Yeah, Nami-aneki!" the bounty hunter duo joined the chef. "Wait for us!"

"Well, I'm all for that," Usopp interrupted with a serious tone, "but haven't you all forgotten one thing?"

The rubber boy cocked his head to the side. "What thing?"

"Do you know where Nami is? Where she went?"

Luffy opened his mouth to reply, then paused and closed it, frowning. Everyone in the room was silent for a few minutes.

"Has she ever mentioned any places? We could start from there," Sanji suggested.

"Not that I can remember…" the sniper mumbled.

"Nami has a tattoo," Luffy said, his hand unconsciously moving to rest on his left shoulder. "She always kept it hidden though. It was a fish… No, more like a shark."

"A shark?!"

"No way!"

All four pirates turned at bounty hunters who pulled out a pile of bounty posters and were rifling through them. "That sounds like Arlong's mark!" Johnny exclaimed, while Yosaku grabbed one paper and shoved it at Luffy.

The straw-hatted pirate took the bounty poster and looked at it with Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji peeking over his sides. Luffy chuckled, "Shishishishi, what a funny nose!"

"Is that the only thing you noticed?!" the long-nosed teen shouted, stabbing his finger into the particular spot on the poster. "Look at the number! The number! It's bigger than Krieg's!"

The captain stared blankly at the bounty sum of twenty million beli. After a moment, he started picking his nose, before finally asking, "So?"

Usopp groaned in frustration. "Zoroooo…" he whined out. "Please, say something to him!"

The swordsman glanced at the poster one more time. "His nose _is_ strange," he observed.

"And he has a big chin," Sanji chimed in.

The sniper instantly facepalmed.

"Usopp-aniki is right!" Yosaku agreed. "You three are being way too naïve!"

"Arlong is a true monster!" Johnny added.

"It doesn't matter," Luffy said. "Nami might be there, so we're going."

Usopp suddenly gripped over his heart and staggered. "Listen, guys, I think I just caught I-can't-go-after-Nami disease…"

"Suck it up!" Zoro ordered.

"Aah! I think I'm dying…"

"Well, the fresh air will help you out, Usopp," the rubber pirate declared, striding out of the room. "Set sail!"

"It doesn't work like that!" the long-nosed teen cried out desperately after him. "Luffyyyyy~!"

The young captain turned around, laughing. "Ne, Usopp, imagine! The brave warrior of the sea and the future Pirate King fighting fishmen pirates together!" he said, a wide sunny grin plastered on his face. "What a tale that would make!"

The sniper blinked, then thought it over, rolling the idea around his head. Slowly, a smirk crept on his lips. "Hehe, you're right, that does sound cool," he admitted. "Yosh! This great warrior of the sea will bravely face these evil adversaries!" Usopp followed his captain from the room with a certain spring in his step. "To tell you the truth, it's not the first time I will be fighting such fiends! One time I had to fight a hundred… no, no, no, a _thousand_ of them! Let me tell you this amazing adventure of the great warrior Usopp!"

As the two youngest teens left the room, Sanji blew out a cloud of smoke and said, "He's already assuming that we're gonna have a fight."

Zoro smirked. "I wouldn't put it past Luffy to know something we don't."

"Oh? How so?"

"His mystery power thing," the swordsman explained. "You shouldn't underestimate it."

The cook stayed silent, recalling the strange feeling from yesterday and Zeff's interest in the kid.

"Zoro-aniki!" Johnny exclaimed. "Are you really going to where Arlong is?"

"Luffy wants to go there, so yes," Zoro replied. "Besides," a feral grin appeared on his face as his finger stroked the handle of his sword, "it could be fun to clash with someone worth twenty million."

Sanji let out a snort, eliciting an icy glower from his new crewmate. "You couldn't beat an octopus in your current state," he noted smugly.

"Oh, yeah?" Zoro responded, flicking his blade out of its sheath by an inch. "Wanna try me?"

The bounty hunters glanced at each other helplessly as the two pirates readied themselves for their fight. However, before they could even start, a loud voice shook the whole restaurant ship, causing them both to freeze.

"ZORO! SANJI! HURRY UP!"

Sanji tsked in annoyance while Zoro let out an irritated harrumph, but both lowered their aggressive stances and stalked out of the room, heeding their captain's order without a second thought.

* * *

"Kid."

Luffy tore his eyes from all the food Baratie cooks were stuffing into the bags for them to take and looked at the owner of the restaurant.

"Cook-ossan!" he cheered. "Thanks for all the supplies you're giving us!"

"It's the least I can do," the old man replied. He extended a leather bound journal for the teen who raised his eyebrow in question. "This is a journal from my venture in the Grand Line. You can take it if you want it."

"Nah, I don't need it." Luffy waved his hand in dismissal, then adjusted his straw hat, grinning excitedly under it. "That was your adventure. I'll have my own."

Zeff chuckled. "Thought so." He began to turn around, but when paused and glanced at the straw-hatted boy again. "But allow me to tell you something about your power." Seeing the kid's orbs shine with curiosity, he continued, "It's called Haki."

"Haki?"

"There are a lot of people that are able to use it on the second part of the Grand Line. All the high caliber Marines and pirates are usually Haki users."

Luffy's eyes widened at the news. He would never have thought that the mystery power was such a common thing somewhere.

"I never learned it myself," the old cook admitted. "So, can't really help you more. Tell me, who taught you how to use it, but never told you what it is?"

The young captain's expression twisted into a slight scowl. His hand drifted to the left side of his neck. "Nobody taught me, I learned it myself," he answered after a moment.

Feeling that it wasn't a topic the brat would have wanted to elaborate on, Zeff turned to his men. "Well, hurry up, lazybones! These people don't have all day, and we also can't be slacking off any longer! Soon customers will be coming here to eat!"

"Yes, owner!"

"And you, brat," the old man addressed the straw-hatted boy again. "Take care of that lil' eggplant of ours, will ya?"

Luffy gave him a hundred-watt grin. "Of course!"

* * *

Going Merry was soaring across the sea at full speed. It was still quite an early morning, the sun was yet to reach its zenith, but the weather promised a nice and clear day. The pirates were two to three hours behind their runaway nakama, but they had a favorable wind, bringing them closer towards their destination quickly.

"Waaaaah…!"

Luffy frowned in his spot on Merry's figurehead and turned around, so that he could observe what was happening on the deck. The rest of the crew and their guests were all gathered at the front of the ship.

"Stop it, you two!" Zoro snapped, unable to bear the bounty hunters' wailing anymore.

"Cheer up already," the captain added.

"B-But we're so touched…" Yosaku stammered out, rubbing his tear stained eyes.

Johnny nodded, sniffling into his coat's sleeve, somehow managing to do all the crying with his sunglasses still on. "It was truly a beautiful goodbye, cook-aniki…"

Sanji let out a frustrated growl.

The swordsman snorted. "Yeah, that was amazing…" he drawled, shooting an amused glance at their new cook.

"Shut up, shitty cripple," the blond retorted.

"What did you call me, damn crybaby?!"

Ignoring his two bickering nakama, Luffy turned to the hunter duo and asked, "You know the place where that guy from poster lives, right?" As the men bobbed their heads in affirmation, the boy's mouth stretched into an impossibly wide grin. "We're gonna grab Nami and be off to the Grand Line!"

"Just the five of us?" Usopp inquired.

"I want to add musician and a fluffy one immediately, but we can always recruit them in the Grand Line."

"Are you seriously planning to go to the Grand Line with only five people?!" Yosaku exclaimed in disbelief.

Sanji, for his part, stopped what he was doing and frowned in confusion for an entirely different reason. "A fluffy one?" he asked, staring at his captain as though wanting to make sure that he had simply misheard it.

"Yup! Every pirate captain needs to have his fluffy one!" Luffy grinned giddily. "I bet mine will be the most awesome of them all!" he declared and promptly erupted into mirthful laughter.

Sanji took a deep drag on his cigarette. Finally, he turned to Zoro and asked, "Is he serious?"

Luffy puffed his cheeks, pouting childishly. "I'm always serious!" he announced.

"I believe he is," answered the swordsman. Seeing an incredulous look on the other man's face, he gave him a crooked smile. "Welcome to the crew, cook," he said.

"Well, as long as Nami-san will be on this ship, I don't care about anything else," Sanji shrugged. After a moment, his features twisted into a dreamy expression. "Just thinking about her inexplicable beauty makes me jump for joy! I sure would like to see her again soon…"

Zoro lay down, leaning against the railings and getting comfortable for a nap. "I don't care either way," he stated, stifling a yawn. "Luffy wants that woman back, so I guess we're getting her back."

"Shishishishi."

"You all are too carefree!" Yosaku suddenly burst out.

"And way too naïve!" Johnny seconded. "Don't you get it?! We're getting closer and closer to Arlong's base!"

"Mmm…" Luffy hummed, knitting his brow, seemingly puzzled about something. "Isn't that our plan all along?"

"Do you even know who Arlong is?!"

"The funny-nose from your bounty poster," the straw-hatted boy responded easily. "I mean, his nose is stranger than Usopp's! How could I forget?"

"Oi!" the said strange-nosed teen protested, eliciting a laugh from Sanji.

The hunters' jaws dropped. These pirates were crazy! They were sailing towards their death and cheerfully joked about it! Yosaku and Johnny shared a determined conspiratorial glance and nodded to each other. It was their duty to teach these youngsters that there were powers in this world which were better left alone.

"Alright, listen up!" Yosaku shouted loudly, drawing the attention of the pirates. "We'll have to explain who Arlong is to you guys!"

He stepped back, giving the front spot to his partner who coughed into his fist and started: "Arlong is a fishman, who's already been to the Grand Line."

"A fishman?" Sanji questioned.

"A fishman, huh…" Usopp trailed off and then smirked confidently. "To tell you the truth, I had already battled once against a horde of fishmen. Everyone called me 'Usopp the Fishmen Destroyer'! I will tell you this astonishing story, so listen and don't be surprised—no, no, be surprised, because I—Oi! Pay attention when someone is telling you their story!"

"Come to think of it, isn't Fishman Island a very famous travel destination in the Grand Line?" Sanji said dreamily, completely ignoring the liar. "I've heard that the most beautiful mermaids live there!"

"Mermaid…" the sniper mumbled, pulling out a notebook and starting to doodle something with his tongue sticking out in great concentration. In the blink of an eye, he finished whatever he was drawing and showed the picture to the others. "Like this?"

Sanji's cigarette fell from his gaping mouth as his eyes fell on the gracefully arched sleek fishtail. A drool started to collect at the corner of his lips as his gaze followed the slender body up to the nice bust with just the right sized breasts and farther up to the beautiful, no, _gorgeous_ face of the… real fish.

The cook was staring silently for a few seconds, then, "DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?!"

Usopp eeped in fright and quickly moved away from the livid chef. Luffy was laughing so hard that he almost tumbled down into the water.

"Couldn't you guys be more serious here?!" both hunters bellowed in unison.

As the uproar calmed down, Yosaku took a deep breath. "Fine! I'll start again from the top!" He gave a short, theatrical pause. "The Grand Line is called the 'Pirates' Graveyard' because of the three great powers that rule over it. One of them is a group called the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

"Oh, yeah, I've heard of them."

"They're—wait, you have?" Johnny asked, all attention turning to Luffy.

"Yeah. They're seven pirates that the World Government gives immunity for whatever they do as long as they agree to be their…" Luffy frowned as he tried to think of the right word. "Mercy? Merchants? Mermaids?"

"Mercenaries," Johnny and Yosaku intoned together.

"So, basically, they take out who the Government tells them to, and they can get away with anything else they do? That's just wrong," Usopp murmured.

"And pirates don't become Warlords unless they're freakishly strong!" Yosaku exclaimed, getting back on track. "Mihawk, for example, the guy who beat Zoro-aniki, _he's_ one of the Warlords!"

Everyone instinctively glanced at the swordsman, but he was already sleeping without a care in the world.

"But the problem is with another Warlord!" Yosaku hurried to tell while the rest of the pirates were still listening. "The leader of the fishmen pirates, Jinbe!"

Luffy's eyes narrowed at the name, memories buried deep, but never forgotten, emerging in his mind.

* * *

"… _After that, Jinbe became our second captain. He's a good person, always took a great care of his crew. When the invitation to join the Seven Warlords came, Jinbe accepted it because of us, former slaves, so that we could return home to our families. Pehehehehe… I guess I can't really call myself a former slave now, can I? Well, anyways… Everyone belittled Jinbe for his decision, calling him the World Government's dog and whatnot, but we'd always be grateful to him. …Ah, do you know what the Warlords are, Luffy?"_

* * *

"In return for joining the Warlords, Jinbe let a terrifying monster loose in the East Blue!"

* * *

" _Listen, kid, if you_ — _No,_ _ **when**_ _you get out of here, can you do me a favor? If you'll ever run into Jinbe, can you tell him that…"_

* * *

A deep frown creased Luffy's face.

"The place we're headed to is Arlong Park! It's an area ruled by—"

"Hold on a second," the captain interjected. "Where did you get that fact about Jinbe?"

"Eh?" Yosaku mumbled, surprised by Luffy's second interruption of his enthusiastic monologue. "Uh… It's a well known rumor."

"I had a friend who was a member of Jinbe's crew, and he told me the real reason why his captain joined the Warlords. It's not what you're saying."

Sanji's eyebrows shot upwards. "You have a fishman friend?"

"Had," Luffy corrected. He lowered his head so that the rim of his straw hat would hide his eyes. "He's dead."

The cook observed the boy, taking notice of his stiff shoulders and carefully blank expression. His interest was piqued. There was definitely more to that story that Luffy let on, but it wasn't Sanji's place to question his past, so the blond chose not to ask anything. Unfortunately, not everyone had such restraint.

"Uh… What happened to him?" Usopp asked hesitantly.

Luffy hunched into himself even more, his fists resting in his lap were so tightly gripped that it made his knuckles white. "Does it matter?!" he shot back more harshly than he'd intended.

The liar winced. "Sorry, Luffy. I was just curious."

Luffy sighed and shook his head. "I really don't want to talk about it."

That killed the mood for a few seconds. Seeing this, the newest member of the crew got to his feet. "In any case," Sanji said, intertwining his fingers and stretching his arms forward. A wry grin appeared on his face. "Let's eat. Any requests?"

* * *

Usopp lowered the binoculars and scowled at the distant horizon. He was standing in the crow's nest, observing the surroundings while Sanji prepared food. Zoro was still napping, Luffy sat in his usual spot, and the bounty hunters were milling their time at the back of the ship.

Going Merry was quickly nearing her destination: the Conomi Islands and, inevitably, Arlong's base.

Of course, such a brave warrior like Usopp was not afraid of Arlong or any of his fishmen goons! Even if Johnny and Yosaku told him that fishmen were about ten times stronger than humans. Even if these pirates were veterans of the Grand Line. Even if Arlong had already destroyed more than twenty villages and killed a lot of people…

The sniper felt his knees weakening with every bit of information he had recalled.

Okay, maybe he was afraid. A little. Just a tiny bit.

"No, no, no!" Usopp mumbled, shaking his finger. "No one knows that we're really going to fight with them!" he pointed out. "And even if we do, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji will be there." He nodded his head in agreement with himself, a confident smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth. "I'm gonna call it the adventure in the unknown and dangerous fishmen lands, featuring the brave and heroic captaaaa—"

"Yo, Usopp!"

"Gyaaaaah!" The liar leaped into the air, a high-pitched, panicked scream tearing out of his throat.

Luffy chuckled, pulled himself up and sat down on the railing.

Usopp heaved a heavy sigh in relief that it was only his crazy captain. His hand was resting on his still racing heart. "Oh, that's not good for my heart…" he exhaled, then rounded on the other teen and exclaimed, "Don't do that! Stop scaring people like that!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

The sniper glowered at that goofy grin before his shoulders sagged in surrender. "Ne, Luffy," he called after a moment. "Are we really going to fight these fishmen?"

The captain thought it over. "If it's them who made Nami feel like that, then, yeah, we're definitely going to," he replied seriously.

"Feel like what?"

"Sad, lonely, despaired." Luffy paused. "Hopeless… Like the darkness inside you would swallow you up at any given moment."

Usopp stared at his captain as the cheerfulness fell away. The emotions in Luffy's black orbs seemed so raw and deep, as though they were etched directly into his being. With the start, the sniper realized that Luffy was talking from his own experience, and he couldn't understand how such a strong person could be so broken at the same time. What could have happened in his life, to leave those kinds of scars on his soul?

"Fishmen are dangerous. They are so much stronger than humans and their techniques with water are deadly," Luffy said, causing Usopp to blanch. The smile cracked open, brightening the rubber pirate's whole face up. "But I have nothing but faith in all of you to hold your own." He took off his straw hat and spun it on his palm. "I never would have brought you onto my crew, Usopp, if I thought that you weren't worthy of sailing with the future Pirate King." As Luffy said the last words, he caught the spinning hat and put it on his long-nosed nakama head.

Usopp was startled by the boy's words and his action. Nami's warning not to touch the straw hat echoed in his mind, and he just stood there, frozen in place, unable to think of anything coherent to say. "Luffy…" he whispered, but the captain simply graced him with one of his impossibly sized grins.

A shout from below jolted the liar from whatever trance he had been in.

"Oi, shitty bastards, food is done!"

"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled happily before he pushed himself off the railing with a joyful, "Let's go, Usopp!" and fell down.

The sniper stayed in the crow's nest for a few more minutes, still too stunned from the absolute trust his captain just showed to him. He brushed his fingers over the rim of the straw hat, and a pleased smile slipped onto his lips. How could he say that he was afraid of anything when Luffy put so much faith in him?

"Bring it on!" he challenged the distant horizon, grinning confidently at it.

* * *

Luffy was sitting in his favorite spot on the top of Merry's figurehead again, a piece of meat on the bone in his hand as he chewed on it slowly, his worried gaze fixed on the skyline.

The wind had died out during their meal, and because of that, Going Merry was barely moving forward.

"Just how long he's gonna sleep?" Johnny asked, poking Zoro at his side. The swordsman swatted his hand away reflexively, but didn't wake up.

Yosaku shrugged. "Dunno."

Usopp snickered. "Maybe I should paint something on his face while he's asleep? What do you think, Luffy?" The sniper turned to the straw-hatted boy to hear his opinion, then blinked. Luffy was leaning forward and staring intently at the water. "What's up, Luffy?"

"I think there is someone… something beneath us."

"Eh?!"

At that moment, an enormous silhouette rose from the depth of the ocean, easily towering over the small vessel.

Usopp's, Johnny's, and Yosaku's eyes almost popped out from their skulls and their jaws dropped on the deck as they stared up at the huge light gray sea cow with green spots, horns and all. "ARGHHHHHHH!" all three screamed at the top of their lungs.

The beast lowered its head towards Luffy, who didn't even move an inch, and sniffed the air. "What?" the boy asked casually. He waved his meat around. "Want this?"

"Mooooooooo!"

"You all are so noisy… Can't a person take a short nap?" Zoro mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes before yawning. Then he blinked and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the sea cow, but didn't get alarmed in a slightest. "What the heck is this thing?"

"IT'S A SEA MONSTERRRRRR!"

"Shishishishi! If you want this you'll have to work for it!" Luffy jumped to his feet with a mischievous smirk and extended his free hand. "Shake!"

"Are you an idiot?!" Johnny cried out.

"Don't be crazy, Luffy-aniki!" Yosaku agreed.

"Luffy, it's not a dog!" Usopp pointed out.

The straw-hatted pirate wasn't deterred by that. "Alright, then… Give me high five!"

To everyone's biggest surprise, the sea cow suddenly pulled one of his frontal fins out of the water and raised it into the air.

Luffy's grin grew even wider as he stretched his arm and high-fived the beast. "Awesome!" he cheered before throwing the meat towards the mouth of the monster. "Here, catch this!"

The sea cow chomped on the piece and licked his lips, looking at the straw-hatted human in front of him. "Mooooo!"

"Ahahahaha! You like that?"

"Mooooooo!"

Luffy beamed. "It was made by Sanji! He's the cook in my crew, and he's the best!"

"Mooo!"

"Hey, wanna be friends?"

"Moooooooooo!"

"Alright! I'm gonna name you Moomoo!"

"Moo! Moo!"

"Shishishishi!"

The rest of the crew and their guests could only gawk at their friendly interaction completely stunned. Sanji joined them earlier as he came out to check what all the screaming was about.

"W-W-Why Luffy's such a fast friend with that sea monster?" Usopp stammered out.

"Because they're both monsters in their own way?" the cook offered.

Zoro grunted his agreement.

"…and she ran away!" Luffy continued talking with his new friend, vividly waving his arms around. "So, now we're trying to reach the island where this Arlong person lives, but with this wind—"

"Mooooo moo moo!" the cow let out an excited sound, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Mooooooo!"

The boy blinked at the beast. "Do you know that place?" When Moomoo nodded his head in confirmation, Luffy grinned. "That's wonderful! Can you help us get there faster?"

"Mooooooooooooo!"

"You'll be a great help, Moomoo! Thanks!" Luffy turned around to face his crew. "Guys, put your backs into it! Let's make it happen!"

"Aye-aye, captain!" they chorused, springing into action to harness the humongous sea cow.

* * *

**-Some time later, Conomi Islands, Cocoyashi Village-**

"Shahahaha!"

The loud scornful laugh reverberated throughout the whole village as Arlong backhanded another villager. The latter flew across the street and crashed into the wall.

"What's this?" the fishman captain asked in a far too joyful voice for the situation he currently was in. "A rebellion?! Shahahaha!"

A group of villagers glared at the monstrous pirate. The ones who hadn't been beaten helped the others to stand up. So far, no one had died, as Arlong's crew was loitering at the side, looking bored, while the captain busied himself with playfully tossing humans around. However, many had been hurt.

"I've heard that someone was keeping weapons here, so I came here to confront him, and you all suddenly decided to go against me?" Arlong ridiculed the people in front of him. "And I'd been so good for you all because this is Nami's hometown!"

"Don't give us that shit, Arlong!" a woman spat at him. "We know what you did!"

"What I did? And what exactly did I do?" he inquired curiously before laughing scornfully again. "I do a lot of things!"

"You—!"

"ARLONG!"

Everyone turned to look at the direction from where the shout came.

Nami was standing there, looking sick and disgusted at the sight of her beloved people bruised and bloody.

Arlong grinned as his eyes met Nami's glare. "Ohhh, Nami!" he greeted her, throwing his hands to his sides as a welcoming sign. "You're back! That was quite a long trip. How much did you rake in this time?"

The navigator's gaze slid over the ruins of destroyed house, and she squeezed her fists so hard that nails dug into her skin drawing blood. "What is the meaning of this, Arlong?!" she screamed. "We have a deal—!"

"Oi, oi. It's not my fault that these idiots decided to attack me," the fishman replied without skipping a beat. He turned to the villagers with a predatory grin. "And everyone knows what happens to those who dare to oppose me!"

Nami's eyes widened when she saw Arlong taking a step closer to humans. "STOP IT!" she shrieked on the brink of hysteria. Nothing was important now but saving her people. "I have your money! I have one hundred million beli! I can buy Cocoyashi Village now!"

"Nami!"

"Na-chan, wait! Listen–"

The fishman captain glared at the speaker and the latter instantly shut up. Arlong glanced at the orange-haired girl, an unnamed something lingering at the edges of his eyes. "Is that so?"

The navigator felt dread creeping in. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "You're not gonna go back on our deal, are you, Arlong?"

"Shahahaha! Of course not!"

"Then, follow me." Nami shot the last glance at villagers, and then spun on her heel and marched towards her home.

"Come on, boys," Arlong urged his crew, and the whole group of fishmen followed the lonely human girl.

* * *

Something was not right. Nami furrowed her brow as she again scanned the approaching scenery of her home. Something was wrong, but her mind refused to understand what exactly was amiss.

For the whole road the navigator didn't utter a word to her tormentor. She had the money. She and the village would be free just a few minutes from now. She should be happy, but a tiny doubt in her heart didn't want to give her peace.

"Some of the money is still on the boat I've returned with," Nami said, trying to keep her attention from wandering off from business on hand.

"That's alright," Arlong waved her concerns away. "We can always grab that later."

As soon as they neared the peak of the hill and the view of Nami's and her sister's home greeted them, Nami knew exactly what was amiss.

Bellemere's mikan plantation was destroyed. Some trees were chopped down, some simply rooted out and tossed aside. The piles of earth dotted the perimeter, and the ground itself was riddled with dig holes.

Nami's brain short-circuited. She just stared at the horrible sight with wide eyes and her mouth agape, until Arlong laughed next to her.

"Shahahaha! Did a reconstruction?" he mocked. "So, there is that money you promised me?"

Nami's body moved on its own. Her heart declined to believe what her mind was already screaming at her, vainly trying to hold onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, the assailants didn't find what they probably were looking for.

As a big empty hole met her frightened gaze, the last sliver of hope evaporated, and Nami felt despair swallowing her up. She dropped to her knees, burying her hands into the soil. "They are here… The money should be somewhere around here…" she muttered non-stop under her breath, feverishly digging around. "Just… Just wait, Arlong. I'll find it and… and… and…"

"Ahhh, too bad, Nami," the fishman said, fake sadness clear in his tone. "If you don't have the right amount of money, you and your little village stay under my control."

The navigator's mouth suddenly felt dry. "You can't do that!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and facing the pirate. "I-I have the money! Someone just took it! You can help me find–!"

Arlong suddenly grabbed her lower part of her face and squeezed it, dragging the helpless girl closer to his own mug. "That's quite unfortunate of you, Nami, but I don't have to do anything," he growled out in dangerously low voice. "No money, no deal. I thought you're a sensible woman and would understand that." A cruel smile graced the fishman's lips when tears rolled from Nami's eyes. "If you can't pay me one hundred million beli, I can't just return village back to you. It means that I can do whatever I want with you and your village. Maybe you'll be luckier next time! Shahahaha!"

Arlong let the navigator go, and she collapsed on the ground into a sobbing heap.

"Don't hold a grudge against me, Nami, I have to teach those rebels a lesson," he taunted further. "But don't worry, I won't kill them all. We don't want you to do something you would regret later, do we? Shahahaha!" He turned around to leave. "Let's go back to Arlong Park for now. We'll visit Cocoyashi Village again later."

Nami hadn't even paid attention as they left. Her whole body was shaking with an uncontrollable wail, and it took her a while and a lot of effort to calm down. When she finally managed that, the thought that she didn't see her sister anywhere suddenly struck Nami like lightning.

"Nojiko…?" the orange-haired girl whispered, wildly looked around. "Nojiko?! NOJIK—"

Her voice hitched as she noticed something on the ground. Nami stood up on trembling legs and slowly moved closer to inspect it.

The soil in that spot was darker, and the grass had reddish stains on. The origin of those was clear as day.

Blood.

There had been a big puddle of blood until it dried up.

At that moment the last pieces of her entire world crumbled, leaving only a bottomless pit of despair, pain, and sorrow.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Living a Lie


	20. Living a Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaread by The Patient One!

"We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash!"

Luffy laughed loudly, ignoring or not hearing Usopp's, Johnny's, and Yosaku's terrified screams behind him. He had one of his rubbery appendages twisted around Merry's figurehead so that he wouldn't fall as the huge sea cow pulled their ship. "Faster! Faster!" he urged excitedly. "Full speed ahead!"

"Moooooooo!" replied the beast. A strange twinkle entered his eyes.

Suddenly Going Merry jerked forward, speeding up even more. The wave threw it into the air, eliciting laughter from the captain again. "Yahoo!" he cheered as the ship landed roughly back on the sea surface.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" the cowardly trio yelled in fright, hugging the main mast for dear life.

Sanji brushed his hair from his eye as Merry jumped another wave. "We're making a good time with this hippo's help," he casually commented.

"Yeah," Zoro agreed, nonchalantly leaning on the inner railing with his arms folded. "We might even catch up with Nami before reaching that island."

"Ah! Beautiful Nami-san~! I can't wait to see her again!"

"You two are way too relaxed!" Usopp shouted at them from his spot. "Show at least some concern for our lives!"

Luffy put his free palm above his eyes to cover the sun, because his straw hat was wildly dangling in the wind, and squinted at the distance. "Oooooi!" He flashed a huge grin over his shoulder. "I see land!"

"Finally…!" Zoro drawled with his hand on his katana and a small smirk playing on his lips.

Sanji clicked his tongue. "Nami-san is our top priority, you hear, shitty swordsman?"

Zoro's eye twitched. "What did you call me, damn cook?!"

Before they could start fighting once more, a mirthful laughter drew both their attentions to their exuberant captain. Luffy just then stretched his arms to grab Moomoo's horns.

"He's not gonna do what I think he might do, right?" the cook mused loudly.

The swordsman snorted. "Of course not."

They held their breaths as the boy's arms snapped back. Luffy collided with the back of the sea cow's head, giggled under his breath, and then climbed up to sit on top. Fist-pumping the air, he exclaimed, "Wait for us, Nami! Here we come!"

Zoro and Sanji heaved heavy sighs of relief, for some reason feeling as though this time luck was on their side that Luffy didn't decide to simply shoot himself to the island ahead of the ship.

The huge sea beast started to gradually slow down till it came to a halt right in front of the Arlong Park.

Luffy beamed at his new friend. "Good job, Moomoo!" he praised, at the same time gently patting the beast's head under him. "Thanks."

The cow closed his eyes in bliss. "Moooo…"

"Mohmoo? What are you doing?"

An unfamiliar voice coming from the land drew the pirate's attention and he turned to look at the speaker. It was a tall fishman with six arms and octopus-like face. Luffy's eyes widened slightly as his gaze fell on the fishman's forehead, instantly recognizing the mark burned onto it.

"Nyu! Is this human bullying you, Mohmoo?!" the stranger yelled in outrage, lifting all of his fists ready to fight.

That caused the straw-hatted boy to blink in surprise. "Shishishishi! No, we're friends," he informed with a sunny grin. "Right, Moomoo?"

The sea cow nodded his head. "Mooooooo!"

"Oh…" The fishman lowered his aggressive stance, and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I never saw Mohmoo getting friendly with a human before."

"That's fine," Luffy waved him off. "I'm Luffy! And this is my crew!" the young captain gestured proudly at the approaching ship from behind the sea cow.

The fishman grinned, pointing one of his hands to himself. "I'm Hatchan, but you can call me Hachi!"

"Whoa!" Usopp said in astonishment. He was standing on the bow deck and openly gawked at the unseen being, all his fear for the moment forgotten. "Are you a fishman?"

"Of course!" Hachi replied, doing a little wave dance with all his six arms. "I'm a charming octopus fishman! Do I look like a human?"

"Definitely not," Sanji murmured, blowing the cloud of smoke.

"Shishishishi," Luffy chuckled giddily. "I never imagined meeting another Sun Pirate so soon in my adventure!"

The octopus fishman suddenly froze, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Nyu?! You know about the Sun Pirates?!"

"Yeah! I remember your name! Tooki always talked fondly of you," the rubber boy said, excitement etched on his features. "He told me a lot of stories about you guys. I really liked the ones about your first captain, Fisher Tiger. He became a hero to me from the moment I heard what he did!"

"Tooki the Storyteller?!" Hachi all but cried out. "Where have you met him? He disappeared so long time ago and nobody knows where he is!"

Usopp winced, thinking that the other boy would get angry again. Luffy's expression twisted into a scowl, his hand unconsciously drifting to touch the left side of his neck. A sigh escaped his lips.

This was Tooki's crewmember, and his nakama deserved to know how he died.

* * *

" _No, no, no… Tooki, w-what are you saying? Stop saying stupid things!"_

" _Listen, Luffy–"_

" _I-I can't! I just… can't! You're my friend, Tooki!"_

" _Listen, kid! I know how hard it is for you, but you're young, just a child yet, whereas I'm an old cripple. If we need to choose who lives and who dies, then there is nothing here to choose from. Pehehehehe… Never would have thought that I'd sacrifice my life for a human and have no regrets for doing so."_

" _Please, don't make me do it…"_

" _And you know what they do if we don't fight. They're gonna kill us both! So, you have to do it, Luffy! You have a dream, right?! Fight for it! Survive for it! Live for it! Do it! Kill me, boy! Kill me!"_

* * *

Luffy shook his head, tugging the straw hat down, trying to hide from the whole world as the already familiar dark abyss of pain, guilt, and shame threatened to overwhelm him.

An uneasy silence hung in the air as everyone was watching the rubber boy who just a moment ago was only smiles and sunshine.

"Tooki died about seven years ago…" Luffy's voice cracked and he went silent again, but no one dared to urge him to speak further. After a moment, he continued, "He sacrificed his life for mine."

"How strange…" Hachi trailed off, considering something over. "Never would have believed that Tooki would protect human."

The straw-hatted pirate's mouth corners twitched up a bit. "Yeah, he was surprised by it himself," he said quietly, then turned his head towards Going Merry and simply stared at his crew for a while.

Never, ever, would Luffy allow a similar situation to occur. He would do anything to keep them all safe. His nakama and friends were his to protect, not for them to sacrifice their lives for saving him.

The barely there smile on Luffy's face grew to a nearly there smile. He suddenly stretched his arm to grab a railing of Merry, pulling himself onto his ship to stand together with his nakama, basking in a warm and safety that their presence had brought to him.

"By the way, Hachi?"

The fishman looked up at the straw-hatted human. "Nyu?"

"I'm looking for one of my nakama. She had a tattoo of the same Jolly Roger as that flag." Luffy pointed at the top of the building in front of them, and everyone instinctively glanced at it. "Her name's Nami, the girl with orange hair. Do you know her?"

A shock flashed across Hatchan's octopus-like features. "Nami?" he asked. "Of course I know her! She's part of our pirate crew!"

"Part of your pirate crew?!" Usopp shrieked in disbelief.

"Didn't Nami say that she hated pirates?" Zoro recalled, irritation clearly visible in his voice and his entire body language. "Nothing but lies comes from that woman's mouth."

"Nami-san must have her reasons," Sanji protested.

* * *

" _Go away. I don't need any help from people like you. I HATE PIRATES!"_

" _The pirates killed my mother."_

" _Yeah, like destroy towns and kill people."_

* * *

Luffy's eyes flickered to the fluttering flag again, the slight downward turn of his mouth giving the only indication of his concern. The more he thought about this, the more he didn't like what his gut was telling him.

Of course, the captain remembered that Nami never agreed to join his crew, constantly reminding him that they were only allies and nothing more. Maybe this was the reason behind it, although he always assumed that it was because of her hate and fear of pirates, for that was a genuine emotion. Luffy could feel it lingering in his navigator's presence all the time, but it dwindled significantly after some time traveling together. Adding the other pirate crew's mark which Nami kept hidden…

Something was very wrong with the whole picture here. The bad feeling Luffy already had doubled in its intensity.

The captain fixed his hat and asked, "Ne, Hachi, do you know where I can find Nami? I need to ask her something."

"Nyuuuu…" The fishman scratched his head. "If she'd returned and she's not here, then she must be back at her house. Follow the coast until Cocoyashi Village." He pointed at the direction on his left. "Nami lives there."

"Okay, thanks!" Luffy grinned while the others already proceeded to move Going Merry. "Hey, maybe later we could meet up again and you could tell me more about the Sun Pirates and Fisher Tiger?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with excitement.

Hachi suddenly seemed very uncomfortable under his enthusiastic gaze. "Yeah, sure…"

The straw-hatted pirate tilted his head, confused about such a drastic mood drop, but chose not to question it. He turned to the sea cow as the ship started to sail away. "See ya later too, Moomoo!"

The beast brightened up and saw the young pirates off with a joyful, "Moooooo!"

* * *

Nami stared at the dried up blood for a while, her mind void of any coherent thought, as she was completely in denial of what might have happened in this place.

After some time, the thief finally forced her body to move. She checked the rest of the mikan orchard, the house, and also the mikan sapling garden on its other side. As Nami looked over the later, she absentmindedly noted that saplings this year seemed very strong and healthy, perfect for replacement of all the destroyed trees.

Finding no clues of what exactly was going on here, Nami decided to return to the Cocoyashi Village. If Nojiko got hurt, she was probably brought to the doctor. Hanging onto that spark of hope, the thief rushed towards the village.

There was a group of people crowding the entrance to the clinic, so Nami hid behind the corner of the house on the other side of the road. She couldn't face them now, couldn't look them into eyes and pretend that nothing had happened. They didn't know anything after all.

They didn't know that the money was gone. They didn't know that Arlong was planning to come later to take care of the rebels.

Nami shook her head. One thing at a time. Once she made sure that Nojiko was alright, she would think of what to do next. Maybe offer Arlong some additional deal to let villagers go this time. They always paid on schedule, never before they defied cruel regime of fishmen pirates. It should work…

The navigator slapped her own cheek to stay focus on things at hand. Then she sneaked across the road and past the crowd, finally sighing at ease as she reached the back door of the clinic. Not wanting to delay the inevitable, Nami entered, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Nami?"

The thief froze at the voice. A split second later she recognized it and swiveled around to make sure. There she was – her sister. Despite her somewhat pale face and bandaged waist, Nojiko seemed fine.

"Nojiko…" Nami exhaled long and slow, feeling the stress drain out of her and relief washing over every part of her body. Distracted, she wiped a few drops of tears out of her eyes. "Nojiko!" this time the navigator exclaimed happily as she closed the distance between them and hugged her sister tightly. "I-I thought… I'm so glad you're okay!"

Nojiko smiled, returning an embrace. "Sorry for scaring you, Nami."

"What happened?" Nami asked when they eventually let each other go. "I led Arlong to give his money because I finally got it all, but… Who did that?"

"Arlong, huh?" the blue-haired woman scoffed, glaring at nothing in particular. "That sly bastard…"

The navigator felt her stomach churn with trepidation. "…Why?"

"It was a work of Arlong's pet Marine," another voice said.

Nami turned to the speaker and her eyes widened at the sight of Genzo standing in the doorway, one hand gripping the jamb to keep himself upright. His whole torso and arms were bandaged and there were still remnants of dry blood at the edge of his mouth.

"Gen-san, you shouldn't be up," Nojiko chided. "Doc's orders."

The man waved her off, earning a scowl. "I'm sorry, Nami," he apologized quietly. "We couldn't protect the money that you spent eight years to collect to free the village."

Nami gawked at him, her mind drawing a blank because he knew. Genzo knew about the money. "How did you… know that…?" she stammered out.

"I knew all along. We all did," he confessed. "Back then, we couldn't believe what you'd done no matter what, so we forced Nojiko to tell us the truth… But we feared that if you knew that we knew, our hopes would pressure you into staying if you ever want to run away from it all."

"Wha…"

"That's why we pretended not to know." Genzo clenched his teeth, his knuckles going white from how hard he squeezed it. "Those Marines… They knew exactly what they were looking for. "

"Arlong was probably planning to do something like that from the very beginning," Nojiko added.

"Nami," Genzo said, looking dead in the eye of the startled orange-haired girl, "you can leave now. Leave this village, this island. You fought well."

"What… What are you saying?" the thief whispered, terror seeping in. "What was the name of that Marine?"

"Captain Nezumi," her sister answered.

Nami gaped at Nojiko, her words slowly sinking into her mind. She knew that name. That Marine had been in Arlong's pocket for a very long time. So, it was true – that despicable fishman set it all up. He never intended to let her or her village go.

"No, no, no, no…" a denial left her mouth as the navigator backed away until she hit the wall. "No, no, no… It can't be… It can't be… It can't be that the last eight years was all a lie!"

"Nami–"

"No! Arlong promised me! He promised… We made a deal… One hundred million beli for the freedom of me and Cocoyashi Village… He promised… He promised…" she muttered under her breath.

It's not like Nami didn't expect it. She did, she just didn't want to admit that Arlong could go back on his word. She _hoped_ that he wouldn't. She _hoped_ that her effort would actually pay off, pushing any kind of idea about her tormentor simply lying to her. He promised. They made a deal…

Nami covered her eyes with her palms and pressed it until the colors exploded under her closed eyelids.

She wanted to scream. Just scream until her throat became hoarse, until there was no strength left to scream. Maybe someone would hear her. Like Luffy…

Nami wished that back then she had been forced to tell Luffy everything, just spill all her misery and pain and ask for his help. Luffy would have definitely agreed. But it was too late now. They had no knowledge of where she ran off. The boys should be on their merry way to the Grand Line, far, far away from their runaway nakama and her problems.

Did she even have a right to call herself their nakama when she simply up and left them?

The thief chuckled darkly. No matter how monstrously strong those guys were, there was no way they could match a real monster. So, it was for the best really that the boys weren't here. She wouldn't forgive herself if more people got killed because of her. Like her mother…

"I need to see Arlong," Nami abruptly said, pushing off of the wall. She quickly ducked out of the clinic before anyone could stop her.

* * *

"Nami!"

Nami completely ignored her sister's calls from behind her as she marched along the rice fields towards the Arlong Park.

"Wait! Nami, stop!" Nojiko grabbed her by her hand and forced her to stop.

The thief gritted her teeth, yanking her arm out of the other woman's grip. She spun on her heel to face Nojiko. "You can't stop me! I need to talk with Arlong!"

"And what you're gonna say to him?!" the mikan grower shot back. "He's gonna lock you up! Or worse – kill you!"

"I don't care!"

"But I do!"

"What are you suggesting me doing then?" Nami demanded. "Leave you all to die and run away?"

"Yes!" Nojiko replied without skipping a beat. Seeing a startled expression on her younger sister's face, she sighed. "We already accepted the outcome of this, Nami. We allowed you to fight alone for the past eight years, but now it's time for you to stand down." She smiled. Just a small, proud curve of her lips. "You're cunning and you've got what it takes to survive out there. Besides, you got a dream to fulfill, right?" she asked with a mischievous wink.

Nami couldn't believe what Nojiko was saying. She opened her mouth to protest–

"Oooooooi! Nami! Ooooi! Oi!"

–and instantly her jaws closed with an audible click as the happy, though annoying yell resounded from the distance. "It can't be…" she muttered, before slowly turning around, afraid that it was just a delusional product of her scrambled mind. "Luffy…?"

The straw-hatted boy was truly there, standing at the forest line and waving his hands in a lively greeting, the wide sunny grin plastered on his face, seemingly lightening the whole surroundings with its presence.

"Aaaaah! Nami-saaaan!" another figure emerged from the trees and joined the arms' flailing. "It's me! It's me! Remember me?! Let's set sail together! And the second beautiful lady too! Come with us!"

"Shut up, idiot cook!" the swordsman grumbled. "Your constant shouting makes my head hurt."

"Eh? What was that?" Sanji grimaced at him. "Don't you know that love is always a hurricane?"

"Speaking of hurricanes," Usopp smirked, "let me tell you how that one time I saved the village from the biggest hurricane in history… Oi, listen to me!"

"I can't believe it!" Johnny cried out.

"Nami-aneki is indeed here!" Yosaku added.

"Shishishishi! I told you."

Nami was speechless. The whole crew was here with all their craziness and quirky antics. She didn't even have a mind to wonder how they'd find her, happiness swelling in her chest simply by seeing them all again.

Nojiko glanced at her sister and raised an eyebrow at her brightened up face. "You know them, Nami? Who are they?"

Nami started from her questions. She looked back at Nojiko, her eyes instantly drawn by the bandages around the woman's waist.

_Shahahaha!_

The thief bit her lip. She couldn't involve Luffy and the rest in this mess. The mere thought of them getting beaten and killed by Arlong terrified her to her very core.

"Nobody," Nami said. The hopeful light that shone in her orbs a moment ago dimmed and then died completely after she repeated her statement. "They are nobodies. Just a bunch of pirates I stole from."

"Really?" Nojiko asked in disbelief. "They don't seem like nobodies going by your reaction."

The navigator ignored her, rearranging her features into a cold stony façade and facing the pirates. "What did you come to this island for?" she inquired frostily. She had to call forth all of her willpower not to falter in her act when Luffy's eyes narrowed a fraction, fixing her with his soul-piercing gaze.

"We've come for you, of course," the rubber boy replied. "You're nakama," he added like it explained everything.

"Nakama? Don't make me laugh. I told you many times that I'm not your nakama. It was nothing but a stupid little cooperation," Nami stated, her voice biting. "You're a nuisance. Go away."

Luffy said nothing. He just stared at his navigator with a worried crease in his brow.

"How can you be so cold, Nami?!" Usopp demanded angrily. "You were enjoying yourself when sailing together with us! Have you been deceiving us all along?"

Nojiko's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "Oh? Enjoying herself, eh?"

"It was just an act," the thief countered the liar's words. "How did you find me anyways?"

"Your tattoo."

Nami almost flinched from Luffy's response. Her hand instinctively moved to cover her left shoulder. Oh, how she hated that thing, marking her as a property of Arlong and working as a tag on her invisible leash to inform others about her master.

The navigator didn't even feel when her nails dug into her flesh, drawing blood.

"So, it's true that you're a member of this fishmen pirate crew?" Zoro wondered, eyeing the orange-haired girl suspiciously as though not entirely believing that being legitimate fact.

Nami clenched her teeth so hard that it felt like they could shatter under the pressure. "That's right!" she stated forcefully, showing the others her accursed tattoo. However, the part of the desirable effect was lost because of scratches left by her nails. "I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates. I only stuck with you for the money. Now when you don't even have a beli, I couldn't care less about you all."

Nojiko sighed. The pirates and bounty hunters were staring at her, not uttering a word.

"I don't have time to deal with you," Nami declared, already walking towards her initial destination. "Leave this island! Go search for your One Piece or whatever." As she was passing Luffy, he suddenly grabbed her arm, successfully stopping her. "What do you want?!" she snapped.

"I can help."

"STOP SAYING THAT!" the thief cried out, swinging her hand upward until it connected sharply with the boy's cheek.

Everyone was left dumbfounded. Nami herself gasped in surprise, pressing her stinging hand to her chest as if it had been burned. She watched the red blotches slowly appearing on Luffy's cheek with wide eyes full of fright and shock.

Luffy never allowed others to hit him, playfully or not. If he could avoid it, he always did. Even a common physical touch was usually initiated first by Luffy himself. The fact that the slap didn't miss meant only one thing – the young captain let Nami strike him deliberately.

Now he was looking at her with that sincere tenderness in his expression, still waiting.

"Get off of this island," Nami forced the words out of her, but it was delivered without any kind of heat behind them. "I don't want to see you again. Farewell." Her voice wavered at the end, and in that moment a pang of grief crossed her face. The navigator spun on her heel and dashed away before anyone could stall her again.

"Nami, wait–!" Nojiko rushed forward just to stagger as the pain unexpectedly shot through her injuries, making her dizzy. "Urgh…"

Sanji was at her side to aid her in a blink of an eye. "Are you alright, miss?" he inquired softly, helping the woman to stand straight.

"Yeah, thanks." Nojiko smiled weakly at him, then she glanced where her sister disappeared and cursed. "That damn girl… She'll get herself killed!"

"Uh… What the heck is going on here?" Usopp asked. "Nami… She's… Argh! I'm so confused!"

"First, I'd like to know who you all are," Nojiko stated. "Depending on your answer, I might tell you."

Luffy finally tore his eyes from the road and faced the mikan grower. "We're Nami's nakama."

It was such a simple words, but they were delivered with so much conviction behind them, and after witnessing her sister's interaction with these guys, Nojiko saw no reason not to believe this straw-hatted stranger. A genuine smile slipped on her lips. "Alright, then, I guess I can tell you," she decided. "But promise me that after you'll know everything, you're gonna take Nami and immediately flee this place."

Luffy frowned. "I'm not interested," he said, turning to walk away. "If Nami wants me to know her past, she can tell it herself."

"Are you sure?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. The past doesn't matter on my ship," Luffy informed before sitting down with his back against the tree, way out of earshot.

The woman stared. "What's up with him?"

"Don't mind him. That's just the kind of guy he is," Zoro commented as he too got comfortable sitting on the ground. "But we'll listen to what you have to say."

Nojiko blinked at the strange swordsman who promptly fell asleep after his last word.

"Don't just fall asleep as soon as you say that!" Usopp screeched before huffing. "Well, I, for one, will listen to understand what's going on here."

"Me too!" Sanji exclaimed.

"And us too!" Johnny and Yosaku piped in together.

Nojiko chuckled. "What a strange bunch you found this time, Nami…" she muttered to herself. "Alright, I'll try to be quick with this story…"

* * *

Nami skidded to a halt in front of the Arlong Park's land gate, pushing any thoughts about Luffy and the others out of her mind. "ARLONG!" she hollered in pure rage as soon as she stomped inside.

The fishmen fell silent, gawking at her curiously.

"What's wrong, my talented little cartographer?" Arlong inquired smoothly from his throne. "Why the sour face already? I haven't killed anyone yet. Shahahaha!"

"It was your pet Marines you keep on the payroll who stole my money!" Nami shouted, coming right up to him and grabbing him by his shirt, trying to shake the fishman. "It was your doing! What's the meaning of this?! Didn't you say you'd rather die than break a promise involving money?!"

"Hm? When did I ever break my promise?"

"Don't play dumb with me–!"

Suddenly, Arlong pushed her off of him. Just a twist of his arm, but it was enough to send the small girl flying a few feet away. As Nami crashed onto the ground with a painful cry, the whole fishmen crew erupted into laughter with an exception of Hachi who reverted his eyes.

"Don't forget your place, Nami," Arlong said, standing up. "Even if you're part of this crew, you're still only a lowly human, although a useful and a talented one. Now," he cracked his neck and grinned, revealing all his sharp teeth, "I think I have some business to attend to in the Cocoyashi Village. Shahahaha!"

Nami pushed herself from the ground into sitting position.

"No need to go to the village, Arlong. We're all here."

Nami's heart almost stopped at hearing Genzo's calm voice. She whipped her head up. Everyone was really here, glaring at the fishmen and holding various housekeeping equipment as their only weapons.

"Wha… What are you all doing here?!"

"We'd hoped that Nojiko would stop you from coming," Genzo shook his head. "That's why we took another route here."

"Shahahaha! Coming themselves? Such brave rebels!" Arlong mocked. "Welcome! Welcome!"

"We're not afraid to die!"

"Time to show you what we're made off!"

"We're ready to fight you!"

"What a joke," The fishman captain sneered down at them. "Humans thinking that they can defeat me?" He stepped towards the crowd. "I'll show you how to bare your teeth against your master!"

"NO!" Nami jumped to her feet, pulling out her Bo staff from where she kept it hidden and taking a defensive stance between the villagers and the fishmen. "I'll not allow you to kill them!"

Arlong cocked his head up and roared with laughter. "Ah, this is too precious!" he exclaimed. A split second later he was already towering over the thief, his teeth shining brilliantly as he bit down on her staff. The wood shattered, and Arlong spat the pieces out, staring down at Nami in absolute disdain. When those brown orbs lit up with a spark of defiance, he backhanded her across her face, flinging her to the side.

"Nami!"

"Na-chan!"

Arlong waved his hand, signaling the others to take care of the villagers. "Nami, Nami, Nami," he intoned with a sly smirk as he approached the dazed navigator. "And what should I do with you?"

Nami tried to still the trembling, but her body didn't listen. A nasty looking bruise on her face was already started to form and a split lip stung. If it didn't hurt so much, the thief might have even laughed from the irony of getting the same treatment as she gave Luffy.

"If you ask nicely I might let you go, you know?"

Not wanting to show her fear, Nami glared at her tormentor, pouring all her hatred and loathing into it.

Arlong scowled, not liking that look at all. "Tsk-tsk-tsk, that won't do at all." His mouth stretched into a crooked smile. "I spoiled you too much for your own good. Maybe I should break your hands?" His smile widened into a predatory grin when the girl's face paled from fear. "Nah! You need your hands to draw my maps. Your legs, however…" Arlong lifted one of his own legs, ready to strike, his eyes sparkling with amused cruelty. "THOSE CAN GO!"

* * *

"Ever since that day eight years ago, that girl decided not to show her tears to anyone and never ask for help," Nojiko told the pirates. "All because she doesn't want to see anyone to be killed by Arlong, just like our mother was…"

Sanji puffed out a cloud of smoke, silently observing it dispersing in the air. "That explains a lot," he said, dropping a finished cigarette on the ground and grinding it with his foot.

"It sure does…" Usopp muttered, scowling in thought. "In order to save her village, she forced herself to join the very pirates who killed her mother…"

"Waaaaaaaaah…!" wailed the bounty hunter duo. "It's such a heartbreaking story! Nami-anekiiiiii!"

Nojiko heaved a sigh, glancing at the only guy who refused to listen to Nami's story.

A pinch between Luffy's eyebrows at that moment twisted into a deep frown and then into a snarl. His eyes shot open and he leaped from the ground, glaring at the direction where Nami rushed off. A moment later, he visibly relaxed. "That pisses me off so much!" he suddenly yelled, startling the mikan grower. "Guys, we're going!"

"Roger!" everyone responded in unison.

Nojiko could only stare in amazement as boys quickly followed after the smallest of them all. Even the sleeping swordsman was up and about. And only then she realized that she never asked who exactly they were. Not that it really mattered. As long as they were on Nami's side, Nojiko knew that her sister would never be alone ever again.

* * *

"THOSE CAN GO!"

A terrified scream left Nami's throat as Arlong began to lower his foot. She shut her eyes, scrambling backwards, trying to escape the oncoming torture. Once the first tear broke free, the rest followed in an unbroken stream, all the stress, fear, and pain catching up to her in this agonizingly long moment as she waited for Arlong to crush her legs.

But nothing had happened.

A sound of flesh hitting flesh reached her ears, and Nami reluctantly opened her eyes. She blinked in surprise at the sight of Hachi standing between her and Arlong. The latter rubbed his cheek and glowered at the octopus fishman.

"What is the meaning of this, Hachi?" the shark growled. "Have you lost your mind? Protecting a human?! Going against me?!"

"I have nothing but respect for you, Arlong. But…" Hatchan trailed off, all six hands balling into tight fists. "But someone made me remember boss Ti and his last words, his dying wish… What we're doing here goes against everything boss Ti was fighting for!"

"Boss Ti was killed by humans!" Arlong roared. "Did you already forget?!"

"Of course not! And I would never forgive those who killed him!" Hachi yelled back. "But… our actions only make humans hate us more–"

"You always were a human sympathizer," Kuroobi interrupted him with a disappointed head shake.

Chew also added his two cents, "And never committed to our goals fully, chu."

"Humans who aren't scared of us, don't hate or scorn us, that's what boss Ti wanted to achieve!" Hachi insisted. "Even Tooki changed his mind and died protecting a human!"

"Tooki?" Arlong echoed in disbelief, before bellowing with laughter. "Shahahaha! Nonsense! Tooki hated humans even more than I do! Now I see that you totally lost your mind. Kuroobi! Chew!"

The other two fishmen officers suddenly sprang into action, assaulting Hachi from both sides.

Nami sniffled, vainly trying to stop her tears. While Hachi never was as bad as the rest of them, he never went out of his way to help her either. She felt extremely confused about his sudden decision to protect her.

"Na-chan, run!"

A cry jolted her out of her musings. The villagers were still holding their own against the fishmen which was quite surprising, but several of them were already lying on the ground in red pools.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Arlong sneered, launching himself towards her.

Nami stumbled to her feet, her flight or fight instinct kicking in. But she was too slow. Arlong was upon her in an instant, seething with rage, ready to rip her apart… only to be stopped by his own crewmember again.

"Hachi…" Nami whispered between sobs.

"Run, Nami! I can't hold him for long!" the octopus yelled as he wrestled with his captain. "Find your friends and… Ugh!"

"Friends…?" A grinning face under the straw hat popped into her mind, and the thief raced out of the Arlong Park without a second glance back.

"If you run away, I'll kill them all!" Arlong shouted after her, but the girl didn't stop. "I'll find you, Nami! You can never escape me! Remember that!"

Nami wasn't listening, the only thought circling in her mind - to find Luffy. He was the only hope she had left now. Maybe he was still on this island. Maybe he would agree to help her, even after everything she said and done. She could only hope that he would.

* * *

Luffy noticed Nami approaching way before she actually came into view. Her presence felt almost unrecognizable, but at the same time, he was intimately familiar with that kind of despair. There were only a few people who didn't feel like that in _that place_.

This whole matter reeked of the same stench, and Luffy felt the stability of his psyche slipping. The dark side of him that he usually kept under tight control surfaced, and he didn't – couldn't – chose not to suppress it this time. It helped him to survive the hell before, after all.

Zoro stopped and made the others do the same while Luffy walked forward to meet their distressed navigator.

"Nami!" Nojiko exclaimed, but a hand on her shoulder held her in place. Sanji shook his head when she looked at him.

"Luffy!" Nami came to a halt in front of the straw-hatted pirate, his eyes narrowing at the bruise on her face, something dark flashing through them. "Luffy, I… I-I need help…" she stuttered out, collapsing onto the ground as her legs gave in, sobs shaking her entire body. "Please… I beg you…" a plea escaped her, causing Luffy to reel away from surprise. "Please, help me… I beg–"

"Nami, stop! Stop!"

Nami fell silent. Her trembling hand covered her mouth as she attempted to rein her emotions in. If Luffy would refuse, there would be nothing she could do. Everyone would die. Everything would be lost. Her hand drifted to her left shoulder, nails digging deep into the flesh, and she dragged her fingers across the tattoo, leaving bleeding scratches behind.

Luffy crouched down, so that they could be at the same eye level. "Nami, I've already told you. If you need help, you can just ask me. There's no need to beg." He smiled a small, benign smile. "We're nakama." A calloused palm gently pried her hand from her shoulder and then carefully covered the tattoo, soothing fresh wounds with its warmth.

"Th-They're gonna die… I-I tried to save them… but the money got stolen…" Nami rambled. "A-Arlong lied… H-H-He never intended to let me go… And now Hachi protected me… Luffy… I don't know what to do…"

"You want Arlong gone?"

The thief looked up into those black orbs. "Y-Yeah…" she choked out, all of her eight years long pain and torment crammed into that one word.

"That's all I need to know," Luffy stated, standing up. He reached for his straw hat and jammed it onto his navigator's head.

Nami froze, then slowly, gingerly touched her captain's treasured hat.

* * *

" _Don't touch my hat."_

" _This hat is my treasure."_

" _It's… very important to me."_

* * *

"Luffy…" Nami whispered. She wanted to lift her head to look at him, but Luffy pushed his straw hat down on her eyes.

"Keep my hat safe for me, alright?"

The navigator nodded, her fingers curling tightly around the hat's rim, clinging to it fiercely like her life depended on it.

Behind the two, Zoro tied his black bandana around his head and gripped his katana's handle in a death grip. Sanji loosened up his tie and poked the ground with his shoe, making sure that it didn't come loose. Usopp lowered his goggles over his eyes and checked his slingshot and its ammunition.

Without any verbal command, all three fell into step with their captain. Johnny and Yosaku silently trailed after them, feeling a bit out of place, like they were intruding into something they shouldn't.

Nojiko came closer then and hugged her sister, watching backs of those four brave people, as Nami cried into her shoulder.

* * *

Arlong glowered at his bruised and bloody crewmember, hanging limply in Kuroobi's and Chew's arms. By now, the humans were subdued; though many were still alive, they were beaten enough that they couldn't pose a threat.

"Have you learned your lesson, Hachi?" the captain asked.

"I stand by my words..."

"So stupid…" Arlong muttered. "You do understand that I'm gonna catch Nami again, right? She can't escape me, ever. And this time, I'm gonna lock her up in her room for good."

"Nyu… Boss Ti would be disgusted if he'd see us now."

The captain gritted his teeth in frustration. "It's your last chance to come to your senses!" Hachi didn't speak again, only raising his head to give a defiant glare. "Fine!" Arlong snapped. "Fine. As you wish." He winded his arm for a finishing blow…

…but it never reached its intended target. There was a gust of wind, and all of a sudden a human boy was standing in front of him.

It took a moment for Arlong to realize that this tiny black-haired brat caught his punch seemingly with ease and now leveled a bloodcurdling glare at him.

A cry of pain startled the shark-fishman. He quickly glanced up, just to see Kuroobi flying into the water as a young blond man in black landed in his place and took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Chew let Hachi go, and the latter crumpled to the ground. "Oh, you hum–" the long-lipped fishman didn't have a chance to finish, because a several accurate explosive projectiles hit him, causing him to stumble backwards.

"Take that, bastard!" the long-nosed human teen shouted from the side, aiming another shot a bit more carefully.

This time it collided straight with the fishman's mug. As it exploded, Chew fell down screaming and clutching his bleeding face.

"Tatsumaki!"

Arlong looked behind. A shrieking tornado was flinging his crewmembers to the sides and they crashed down with cut marks all over their body. The villagers who were still conscious gaped at the abrupt appearance of a green-haired swordsman with a katana in his mouth and another two swords with flat tips in his both hands.

"Tch, weaklings…" the stranger muttered disappointed.

"You must be Arlong," the tiny brat in front of him said, drawing the shark's attention back to him, his voice creepily void of any emotions.

"That would be me!" the fishman captain confirmed, baring his teeth in anger. "And who might y–"

"Good. Just a person I've wanted to see," the kid interrupted. His mouth slowly, almost lazily, stretched into a sharp, evil grin. "Name's Monkey D. Luffy." The look in his eyes was dark, almost demonic in its nature, bordering on the edges of insanity.

For the first time since he left the Grand Line, Arlong felt a slight feeling of fear. His whole being was alarmed and strung-up, instincts screaming at him not to mess with this kid. A kid! A _human_ kid! How could that be that he was afraid of a human kid! That was simply impossible! Impossible! IMPOSS–

A punch to his gut snapped Arlong out of his daze. His breath left his body in an explosive, painful gasp, and he coughed blood. Before he could retaliate, another punch landed onto the side of his face, the force behind it knocking him right off his feet and hurling him directly into the Arlong Park's building. Part of its wall collapsed as he crashed through it.

Luffy cracked his knuckles, ignoring the blood dripping through his fingers, still grinning in that half-crazy, half-amused manner. "And I'm gonna rip your heart out."

* * *

 **Next Chapter:** Payment in Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One dark Luffy is coming right up! Hehehe...
> 
> Please, leave a comment with what you liked and what you didn't in this chapter or this story in general. I'd love to hear it :)  
> Also, this story has its own TVTropes page! http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/BoyWithAScar


	21. Payment in Blood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaread and final touches done by The Patient One! He turned this mess into a readable chapter :D

A punch to his gut snapped Arlong out of his daze. His breath left his body in an explosive, painful gasp, and he coughed blood. Before he could retaliate, another punch landed onto the side of his face, the force behind it knocking him right off his feet and hurling him directly into the Arlong Park building. Part of its wall collapsed as he crashed through it.

Luffy cracked his knuckles, ignoring the blood dripping through his fingers, still grinning in that half crazy, half amused manner. "And I'm gonna rip your heart out."

A silence that followed his words was deafening. Villagers were too shocked at a sudden appearance of unexpected saviors, and fishmen equality astonished by the easiness the said saviors dispatched their leader and officers.

"You bastard!" one of the fishmen yelled in fury, drawing out a sword. "How dare you hit Arlong-san!"

A few of his crewmates followed his lead and also launched themselves on the black-haired teen, their teeth bared and weapons shimmering under the sun.

The young captain didn't even spare them a glance, his eyes boring into the spot where Arlong laid, hidden under the debris.

"Luffy, watch out!" Usopp shouted in alarm while Zoro and Sanji cursed and got ready to move in.

The blade was only inches away from Luffy's bandana-covered neck when it happened. One second he was there, the next, he was gone. A gust of wind swept up a dust from the ground, scattering it harmfully around the attacking fishmen. And then, they were all blown into different direction, some crash-landing into the water, others smashing into the building or surrounding stone fence.

Usopp eeped when one of the bodies whizzed past him. He turned just in time to see it cleaning up a hostile pirate who tried to sneak up on him. "Whoaaaa…" he breathed out, wiping a sweat from his brow, his eyes still impossibly wide. "That was too close." He looked back to where his captain appeared in his previous spot as if nothing had happened at all.

Zoro smirked, dropping his katana from his mouth into his hand. He knew his chosen captain was strong, but his prowess still impressed him every time. And, damn. It seemed that he would finally see Luffy getting real serious in the fight. An excitement bubbled in his chest as he watched the boy raising a questioning eyebrow at the fishmen, taunting them wordlessly.

"Shitty captain…" Sanji mumbled under his breath. "I worry only about ladies!" he exclaimed more to himself than anyone else. He frowned at the still smoldering cigarette on the ground. His hand absentmindedly reached inside his suit and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, taking and lighting a new one. He blew out a cloud of smoke, observing some of the pirates actually taking a step back from his captain when the latter smiled darkly.

"You cheated, humans!" someone screamed.

"They didn't see you coming!"

"That's right!" another voice agreed. "They weren't prepared!"

"Just wait till they retaliate!"

"Despicable humans!"

Luffy chuckled. It was a quiet and soft laugh, but somehow it got carried through the whole Arlong Park, successfully shutting the enemy crew. "We're pirates, you idiots," the rubber boy said, his tone full of mirth. "We aren't compelled to play by the rules if we don't want to."

A splash of water perturbed the newly set silence when Kuroobi pulled himself out of the water, sneering hatefully at his blond assailant. Chew also staggered to his feet, his baleful gaze fixed on Usopp.

"Straw Hat…"

Luffy shot a glance over his shoulder at Hachi, just a brief turn of his head, before he was staring at the rubble again. "Johnny, Yosaku," he called out.

The bounty hunter duo flinched in surprise, still stunned by the young captain's show of power. "Y-Yes, Luffy-aniki?" they both said in unison.

"Take care of Hachi."

"Of course," Yosaku replied as they rushed forward, giving Chew a wide berth. With a united effort, they managed to lift the injured octopus fishman up and slowly dragged him towards villagers. The moment they passed Zoro, bounty hunters let out a relieved sigh, even though no one actually moved to intercept them.

The rubble of the broken wall moved, and Arlong sat up in the middle of it, glaring at Luffy. He licked his lips and then spat bloody saliva, wiping the hand across his mouth. "A pirate, you say," he said, his voice dangerously low. He smiled, revealing the rows of razor-sharp teeth. "What can an inferior being like you possibly do? Without a surprise attacks you all just lowly helpless humans! Shahahaha!"

Luffy stared at him unimpressed. "I was wondering why Tooki never mentioned you when he told me stories about the Sun Pirates. Now I understand," he noted dryly. "He said that there were a few scumbags in the crew who weren't worth mentioning."

Arlong growled as he slowly climbed to his feet, his narrowed eyes glued to the teen who evenly met his predatory gaze. "Tooki was a traitor if he told a puny human about our crew!" he spat out scornfully.

In an instant, Luffy's face blanked out. "That is not very nice of you," he said, his voice emotionless. "Tooki was my friend. He saved my life in more ways than one. I won't allow you to speak of him like that."

* * *

_It was feeding time._

_Luffy could hear the increasing bustle coming from the direction of the front cells: the shuffling of feeders, their taunting words and bursts of cruel laughs, the desperate begging of the starving people and quiet sobs of those who were denied the food for an amusement of their tormentors._

_Luffy tightened his arms around his legs. Such a brief movement strained his skin and muscles, and he winced as the pain like fire spread across his shoulder. Devastating dizziness instantly engulfed him, sapping the leftover strength with lightning speed. Luffy screwed up his eyes and rested his forehead on his knees, fighting bile inside his throat that suddenly threatened to choke him._

_Feeders were finally in front of his cell, but the boy ignored them. "Hey, hey," the man who held a bag with bread in his hands elbowed the second one. When he got his co-workers attention, the feeder grinned and motioned towards Luffy. "This is the brat I told you about."_

" _The one who ran away and got caught a few days ago?"_

" _Yeah," the man chuckled. "Little fool thought that Marines would help him. Like they would ever help these animals."_

_Luffy tightened his hold on his legs again, this time deliberately triggering the pain so that his mind would have something else to occupy itself instead of focusing on mocking laughter. Tears stung his eyes, but the boy refused to let them fall. He cried enough already._

_Ace and Sabo always said that he was a crybaby, and Ace even told him that he hated crybabies. If Luffy managed to change himself, to become stronger and stop crying, maybe, just maybe, his brothers would come to take him away from this awful place, rescue him from this never-ending torture like they did when he was captured and beaten by Porchemy._

" _Hey, brat!" the feeder with the bag called. "Are you hungry?"_

_Fingers of the boy's bare feet curled under, the only indication that he heard the question._

_Luffy knew this game. If he said that he was indeed hungry, feeders would laugh and deny him food simply for their own amusement. If he lied and said that he wasn't hungry, they would laugh and still leave him without food. As he learned so far, the best choice was to stay silent with his head down and pray that these men would take pity on him. But Luffy was exhausted and feverish, so he did the only thing that he could at the moment: he lifted his head just enough to peer at the bastards, his onyx black eyes ablaze with overwhelming hatred, seemingly containing enough heat to melt down the iron bars separating him and the two slavers._

_The little boy's open defiance startled the feeders. They gawked in surprise before the first one suddenly spat at him through the bars. "No food for you today, slave!" he stated coldly and after a moment muttered in disdain, "Tch, what a freak… Almost two years here and he still can glare like that."_

" _I don't understand," the second feeder complained as they turned to continue their work. "Why doesn't Saint Kenjord just kill this slave? I thought all runaways ended up in The Red Room permanently."_

" _Because this slave is his favorite," his partner replied with a snort as he pulled out a loaf from the bag and chugged it into the cell next to Luffy's. "But he was punished. The boss even left a sea stone bullet in his shoulder. Do you know how painful it is for a Devil Fruit user? It's like an agonizingly slow lethal poison." The man grinned widely, shooting a glance at the boy, before shrugging. "The master always orders to pull it out before he dies, though."_

" _Is he any good in the arena?"_

" _Ha! You really are a newbie! He could break your bones just like that," the feeder said while snapping his fingers._

" _Pff, right."_

" _I'm serious! You should see him in the arena. His devil fruit is so much fun to watch! Not like those Logias, Paramecias are all about getting close and personal. He's a monster, I tell you."_

_They moved further along the rows of cells as they talked and soon was out of hearing range. Luffy went back to his former position with his hot forehead resting on his knees. He stayed like that even when feeders returned after making their rounds. They strolled past all the caged people, chatting happily until exiting through the door. Silence consumed the slave pens again._

" _Two years here and you're still fighting against them."_

_A deep, quiet voice on his left made Luffy look at the speaker. His tired eyes met curious, yellow ones, gazing at him as if assessing him. It was one of those strange humans with different colored skin and additional parts on their bodies. This one had green skin, a crooked fin on his back, and there were some teeth protruding from his thick blue lips._

_Luffy sometimes saw this kind of humans in this place, but never spoke with them. Not many people in cells spoke with each other here. Everyone knew that they could be pitted against anyone here in the deathmatch, and no one was eager to kill their friend or be killed because of them. So nobody tried to make friends in this place. It was easier. The survival took a priority._

_But Luffy was always prone to making new friends, and he had been starving for any kind of friendly socialization. That's why he actually responded to the strange man's words. "I won't be a crybaby anymore," the boy declared, his voice just above a whisper. "Then my brothers will come for me."_

_The man's expression softened. "I'm sure they would come for you right now if they could, kid."_

_Luffy didn't reply, lowering his head back on his knees. A silence settled between them, broken only by a quiet wailing somewhere in the front cells. After a few moments, a hushed "I won't die here," left the boy's mouth. "I won't die until I reached my dream," he repeated a bit louder._

_The man raised his eyebrow. "And what's your dream?"_

" _Become the freest person in the world." Luffy glanced at him again. "Become the Pirate King."_

_The words were delivered with so much conviction behind them that it left the stranger stunned. "Pehehehehe!" he suddenly bellowed with laughter, and it sounded very unbefitting and out of place in this gloomy atmosphere. "You're a strange little human, aren't you? What's your name?"_

" _Luffy."_

" _I'm Tooki. Nice to meetcha, kid." He grinned brightly before sticking his hand through the bars that separated their cells and carefully throwing the loaf of bread to the spot in the boy's reach. "There, you can have it."_

_Luffy stared at the bread with wide eyes. "But… this is yours."_

_Tooki just waved his concern off. "You need it more than I do. I still have some fat on my bones," he joked as he patted his belly. When the boy still didn't move to take it, he gently insisted, "Just eat."_

" _Thank you," Luffy whispered as he delicately picked up the loaf with his uninjured arm, his motion full of reverence. He already learned that if he devoured the food like he was used to back home, it would make him sick. So, he started to slowly nibble at the corner. "You're a strange human, too," he said softly._

_That comment elicited another bout of laughter from the green-skinned person. "That's because I'm not human."_

_Luffy blinked in confusion. "Not human?"_

" _I'm a fishman, kid. We're a species that inhabit the seas."_

_Luffy's eyes widened in wonder. "You live in the sea? Can you swim?"_

_Tooki chuckled. "Of course. With these," he pointed at gills between his shoulder and neck, "I can even breathe underwater."_

_The boy's mouth formed 'O' as he gawked at the fishman practically with stars shooting out of his eyes. "That's so cool!" he exclaimed joyfully and instantly winced as the intense pain burned his shoulder. Luffy closed his eyes and bit his lip, willing the agony away, but it took a couple of minutes for it to subside._

_Tooki was observing him with a worried crease in his brow. "How are you feeling, kid?"_

_A tiny smile appeared on Luffy's lips. "I'm okay," he assured, and the fishman sighed. The boy nibbled at the bread as he gazed at his new friend's face intently. "You feel more human than those who keep us here," he deadpanned abruptly._

_Tooki's head snapped to look at Luffy so fast that it made him dizzy. He scrutinized the kid for a while, trying to determine his intent, but the young face in front of him was open and sincere. "You remind me of Koala, the girl my pirate crew helped to bring back home."_

_Luffy's eyes grew wide as plates. "You're a pirate?!"_

" _I am. Want to hear some stories?"_

" _Yeah!"_

" _Alright." The sunny grin brightened the boy's features, and Tooki couldn't help but smile too. "I will tell you about my amazing friend and captain of the Sun Pirates, Fisher Tiger. Listen carefully, because this story is not known to many…"_

* * *

Nami and Nojiko sneaked into the Arlong Park the same moment Johnny and Yosaku brought Hachi to a safe place. Cocoyashi's resident doctor offered to check his injuries because everyone felt grateful to the octopus fishman. Without him, Nami would have been hurt more than she was, she wouldn't have been able to run away and call for help.

Nobody recognized the youths who were now confronting the Arlong Pirates. Even though their unexpected saviors turned out to be pirates themselves, the two sisters' insistence that they were here to help them was the only assurance they needed to accept them.

Nami was chewing nervously on her lower lip as she observed the conversation between Luffy and Arlong, waiting for a conclusion of it like everyone else. One of her hands was still gripping Luffy's straw hat, partially to hold it in place, partially to ground and assure herself. Luffy was strong, she repeated again and again in her mind, stomping on any feeling of doubt that reared its ugly head.

"That is not very nice of you. Tooki was my friend. He saved my life in more ways than one. I won't allow you to speak of him like that."

"Your friend?" Arlong asked, pulling his lips into a sneer. "Just how low Tooki had fallen to be friends with a maggot like you? Pathetic!"

Luffy's left eye twitched, the only reaction to the insults. He didn't move, didn't say anything for one long moment. "You took over this island, forced people into submission, marked a person like your property, pretending to be some kind of god…" he listed in a calm, measured voice.

Nami's heart skipped a beat at her captain's words and she blinked rapidly to clear her eyes from tears that started to gather anew.

"Just like those  _bastards._ " The last word was said with so much venom that even Arlong was taken aback. After a short pause, Luffy continued, "You're everything your captain fought against."

"You know nothing about my captain!" Arlong snarled in fury, his body trembling in animalistic, unrelenting, inhuman anger. "I AM the god to you, lowly human!"

"God, huh?"

The navigator involuntarily shuddered at the sound of Luffy's chuckle. It sounded wrong, warped somehow. Dark and hollow.

"Well, good thing I'm a D then," the boy informed as he allowed his lips stretch into a macabre parody of his usual grin.

Fear crept up into Nami like thousands of insects, crawling just under her skin. That was not Luffy he came to know and trust. She could think up only one word that described the vibe she was now getting from the normally warm and caring boy.

Insane.

Nami shrunk into herself, eyes screwed shut, panic spreading throughout her mind like wildfire. The second hand shot up, grabbing the straw hat, and she tugged it down, trying to hide from the scary image before her.

"Enough of your nonsense!" Arlong roared, propelling himself at the black-haired teen with his arm drawn back. "I'M GONNA ENJOY KILLING YOU!"

Luffy met his full-powered punch with a punch of his own. Time seemed to stop for a second before restarting with a devastating shockwave from where their fists collided. Both opponents were blown away by its force. Arlong crashed back into the rubble he just climbed out. Luffy flew through the air, but quickly righted himself and landed gracefully on his feet, skidding backward and stopping just barely at the edge of the pool.

Their clash functioned as the sign to start, and suddenly everyone lunged on their targets with adrenaline induced vigor. Kuroobi against Sanji, Chew against Usopp, and the rest of the crew against Zoro…

"Oi, are you serious?" Zoro complained in annoyance as he sidestepped the clumsy attack and stuck his feet to trip one of the goons. The latter flattened on the ground with a yelp, and the swordsman kicked him right in the teeth. "Why is it me who needs to deal with these weaklings?!"

"Waaaaah!"

Screaming his lungs out, Usopp zipped past Zoro and through the gates, the long-lipped fishman hot on his heels. The green-haired man flashed a grin at the opportunity and stepped forward, blocking the pursuer's way with a raised sword. "I'll play with you," he said as the fishman halted.

Chew scowled. "I don't really care who the first one to die is."

Zoro drew his katana and bit it, readying himself for a fight. Then a rotten egg splashed at the fishman's mug and both of them froze. The swordsman blinked in surprise.

"Mwahahah!" Usopp cackled, standing at the safe distance with his slingshot in his hand. "Welcome to the Crap Café! Today's special is fish with eggs!"

"That's  _my_  line, Usopp! How do you even—? Patty," Sanji realized with a grumble.

Chew glared at the sniper. "If you wanna die so badly, I'll kill you first!" he yelled furiously, dodging around Zoro and sprinting after Usopp.

"Gyaaaah!" the liar shrieked, turning to run away again. "Zorooooooo, save me!"

"You idiot!" the swordsman cursed. "Johnny! Yosaku!"

The bounty hunters sprung to their feet without a second thought. "Aniki?"

"Protect Nami and these people!" Zoro ordered as he threw the duo's swords back to them, then dashed after the target he had his sight on. "Usopp, stop running or I'm gonna kill you myself!"

"Get back here, you long-nose!"

Usopp's speed doubled. "I'm doooooomed! They're gonna kill meeee! Waaaaaah!"

The villagers stared dumbly after the three figures until they disappeared over the horizon.

"What was that?"

"Dunno."

"Are these kids really pirates?"

"Now is not the time to gawk uselessly!" Genzo reprimanded them sternly. "We need to protect ourselves and keep the pirates away from the injured ones!"

"Yeah!" the crowd cried out, gripping their makeshift weapons more tightly and facing the Arlong pirates with determination plastered on each of their faces.

"I'm…" Hachi staggered to his feet. "I'm gonna help too."

"Whoa, Octopus-aniki, you're hurt!" Johnny yelled in alarm.

Yosaku eyed the approaching fishmen forces with a concerned scowl. There was so many of them! Suddenly, he noticed Nami standing all alone with the straw hat over her eyes, not paying attention to her surroundings. A pirate strode towards her. "Nami-aneki! Watch out!" the hunter screamed.

The navigator lifted her head and met the malicious eyes of the fishman. She didn't even have time to react to his presence; grinning evilly, the pirate winded his arm to hit her.

"Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed but before he could move to help, the punch in his gut flung him across the Arlong Park and through its fence where he skidded on the ground, stopping sprawled in the dust.

Nami gasped, slamming her eyes shut, waiting for a pain to come. It never did.

She peeked over the hat's brim and her eyes widened as all she saw was a red shirt and black disheveled mop, standing protectively in front of her. Nami's attacker was nowhere to be seen.

"Shahahaha!" Arlong laughed. "Allowing yourself to get injured just to save another human! How useless!"

Nami's gaze snapped back to Luffy and she immediately understood what Arlong meant.

The young captain yanked the set of shark's teeth from his shoulder and tossed it aside. The blood splattered from the rows of deep puncture wounds, flowing along his arm and dripping down from his fingers on the ground. Luffy didn't seem to be bothered by it as he glared at Arlong with the stony face.

"Luffy…" Nami whispered.

The boy looked at her and a gentle smile curled on his lips. It took her breath away.  _That_  was Luffy she knew. The same person who was shining brightly like a sun in the endless darkness with its alluring light attracting everyone into its gravity field. And Nami wholeheartedly wanted to stay there, to be one of the stars that circled that sun, basking in its brilliant warmth and protective ferocity.

The navigator couldn't even recall why she got scared of her captain. It didn't matter that he was scary sometimes, didn't matter that he was able to kill, didn't matter that he had more demons haunting him than all of them added together. Nami was absolutely certain that Luffy would never hurt her or any of his nakama, that his insane rage was always pointed at the enemy who deserved it and never at innocent people.

"You're nakama, Nami," he said firmly. And that was that. Luffy always delivered such words with finality that only he could pull.

There was a lump in her throat and the navigator simply nodded, unable to speak.

Satisfied, Luffy returned his attention on Arlong.

"Did you finish say your goodbyes?" the fishman captain asked with a mocking smile. "Because you all will die today, but I won't kill Nami. No, she still needs to draw my maps."

Without wasting time for a retort, Luffy raced forward with his arm stretching behind him. In a red blur, he was instantly in front of his opponent, too fast for him to react. The punch hit unprepared Arlong's stomach and sent the fishman flying into the building once again. Luffy smirked.

Meanwhile, his first crewmate reappeared at the entrance of Arlong Park.

"The heck? Why I am back here?" Zoro muttered angrily. "Damn! Usopp just had to go and get lost."

"Zoro-anikiiii!" Johnny and Yosaku wailed as they tried to push several fishmen away from the injured villagers. "Help!"

Zoro growled. In seconds, he was in front of his friends, snarling at their pursuers.

"Piss off!" he snapped. The fishmen recoiled from the pure wrath, oozing out of the green-haired man. Before they could consider attacking him instead, a flurry of Zoro's attacks pushed them all away as though they were mere dolls.

With a beastly gleam in his eyes, Zoro glanced left, then right. "Shit!" he cursed, punching the closest fishman out of pure irritation. Arlong was Luffy's, the cook was engaged the guy with strange elbows, and Usopp had to go and get lost with the last decent fighter from this crew. Well, he wasn't worried about the long-nosed liar; Usopp could take care of himself. But now he didn't have anyone worthy to fight.

Zoro glared at all the small fries, causing them to shrink away.

Ah, he was so frustrated. And the best way to let his pent-up frustration was to kick someone's ass. So, that's what Zoro did. There were lots of asses around just waiting to be kicked.

One minute later, the swordsman was gazing at all the sprawled bodies around him, his posture screaming boredom.

Nami tentatively sidled to him. "Thanks, Zoro, for your help protecting the villagers."

Zoro looked at her, and she forced herself to show a strained, small smile. Her eyes were red and puffy, the bruise on the side of her face already fully formed, and she seemed thoroughly exhausted, one hand holding onto Luffy's straw hat like a lifeline. "No problem," the swordsman replied. "We're pirates, but not the kind that they are."

Nami's smile became more genuine. "Yeah."

Zoro grinned ruggedly back. Then they both gave their attention to the ongoing battle.

It seemed that Luffy was entertaining himself by throwing Arlong to his own home again and again. Walls of the ground floor were riddled with gaping holes, covered by rubble and debris, the left side of it lay completely in ruins. It was a miracle that building itself still stood.

Luffy stared at one of the newest holes, a wide, sly grin plastered on his face. He paid no mind to the ray fishman who appeared behind him with his arm drawn back for a punch.

"Luffy-aniki, behind you!" Yosaku yelled.

The rubber captain didn't even twitch at the warning, because his cook was suddenly there, his leg burying itself into the side of Kuroobi and hurling him across the yard and into the fence.

Sanji lit a new cigarette and took a deep drag, slowly puffing out the smoke. Then he pointed at the fishman who crawled out of the rubble. "Just returning the favor, fish-sticks."

"I like that name!" Luffy chirped cheerfully.

"I like it too!"

Everyone turned to look at the new voice. Usopp was standing at the hole in the fence made by Sanji with his thumb up.

"Usopp!" Nami called happily.

"Did you finish that fishman?" Zoro asked.

The sniper beamed, puffing his chest. "Of course, I did! Too easy, too easy!"

"You bastards… You're just inferior animals," Arlong growled out in the darkness of the building. "You should be groveling at our feet, thankful that we allow you to exist beneath us."

Any cheerfulness that Luffy possessed vanished, being replaced by that half-crazy, half-amused expression as he cracked his knuckles. "Come on, fish-sticks," he taunted.

Sanji sniggered and launched himself on his own opponent.

"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" Arlong roared, bursting out from the building with a gigantic, multiple-bladed sword. His eyes were strange, slit pupils burning with overwhelming fury.

"Kiribachi!" Nami gasped in horror.

Arlong swung the sword in dramatically wide swing with a loud battle cry. The heavy blade descended down and crashed into the spot where Luffy had been standing, rocks crumbling away from the force of the impact.

The shark fishman was already moving, roaring again, swinging the sword sideways at his target.

The boy leaned backward, letting the blades glide just an inch above him. He put his hands on the ground and flipped his body out of another Kiribachi's attack, instantly landing on his feet and putting some distance between him and Arlong. "It's destructive, yes, but you're too slow, too wide, too predictable," he noted flippantly. "I can see your strikes coming from a mile away."

Arlong howled in outrage, preparing another unnecessarily big swing with his sword, making himself wide open.

Luffy breathed in and closed his eyes, concentrating on that warm, pleasant, vibrant force, buried deep in his gut. It uncurled by his will, and the pirate diverted its flow into his fists. As he felt the tingling under his skin reach his fingertips, his eyes snapped open. "Gomu Gomu no…"

A punch hit Arlong straight into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"…Gatling Gun!"

Then another punch slammed into the side of his face, one more into his shoulder, hip, face, stomach, until there was no spot on his body that wasn't bruised. His nose was broken, his ribs were shattered, and he had a hard time breathing, choking on his own blood.

Arlong's mind scrambled to find a reason why there was so much power behind every strike. The kid wasn't that strong just a mere moment ago! Did it mean that he was toyed with up till now? That the brat wasn't even using his full strength in their fight until this moment?

Not letting that strange force flitter away, Luffy stopped his flurry of punches, sending his both arms far behind him as he himself moved forward. "Gomu Gomu no…" In a blink of an eye, he was inside his opponent's personal space. "…Bazooka!" His palms hit the fishman's abdomen with a force of a small meteor. Kiribachi slipped from Arlong's suddenly lax fingers before his body was launched backward and into the building again.

This time Luffy followed him in a leisure stroll. The small pebbles crunched under his sandals as he made his way inside.

Arlong flinched at that sound, terror that he had never had felt before coursing through his veins. He struggled to heave himself from the ground. One of his arms was twisted at an odd angle and didn't budge. He managed to push the other arm under him, lifting his broken body just enough so that he could flip himself and look up pleadingly at the young pirate. "No…" he wheezed out, his previously strong and mocking voice only a pathetic whisper now. "No, please, have mercy."

Luffy gazed coldly down at him. "Mercy?" he echoed. "You called yourself a god in front of me, played pretend to be one of those Celestial bastards, and forced my nakama into such despair that she  _begged_  me to help her." Luffy clenched his teeth at the last statement. "I see no reason to show you mercy."

"If… If you think that you can use that woman better than I did, you can have her. Just let–" The rest of Arlong's offer died at the back of his throat and a scream of pain ripped out of it instead when fingers suddenly dug into the flesh of his chest.

Luffy seethed with absolute, terrifying fury. He pushed his hand deeper, fingers wiggling between the fishman's ribs, and snarled, "You monsters may have put your mark on our bodies, but you've never truly owned us!"

* * *

Zoro saw the body flying towards him only a split second before it would have collided with him. He made some bizarre move back and to the side to avoid it, and Kuroobi whirred past him, crashed through the fence and disappeared into the cloud of dust.

Zoro heaved a heavy sigh of relief not to be flung out with him. "Watch where you throw them, cook!" he rounded on Sanji.

"Tch," the blond man clicked his tongue. "I missed."

"You–!"

"Aaaah! Nami-swaaaan!" the cook exclaimed, all but dancing towards the confused navigator. "I'm so happy you're alright!"

"Yeah, but…" Nami looked at the house in front of them. "Luffy still in there with Arlong."

Sanji hummed in assent, turning around to watch and wait with the rest of the restless crowd. A deathly silence enveloped them like a heavy blanket.

They heard light footsteps a moment before Luffy emerged. His eyebrows were drawn together into a frown, his dark eyes focused on the sea in front of him. A fresh blood dripped from some small object in his hand, leaving a trail of red droplets behind.

Luffy stopped at the edge of the pool, pulled his right arm back, stepped forward with his opposite leg, and suddenly threw it as far as he could into the horizon.

Usopp squinted. "What was that?"

"A heart," Zoro grunted.

"A heart?"

"Pretty sure it was Arlong's," Sanji said.

Before that had any real chance to sink in, Luffy whipped his outstretched leg around, swiping it throughout the ground floor of Arlong Park's building. It gave a moan-like creak and finally gave in: cracks run across all outer walls, the roof caved in, and the earth under it shook.

The villagers scrambled to get away, dragging the ones who couldn't move after them.

"YOU IDIOT!" Luffy's crew cried out together, helping the people to escape before the building crashed down on their heads.

As the dust settled, there was only a huge pile of rubble instead of Arlong Park.

"It had fallen…" someone whispered and another added, "Arlong's gone."

Villagers looked at each other, grins that threatened to split their faces in two blooming left and right, before they exploded in a chorus of cheers.

"WE WON!"

"ARLONG PARK HAS FALLEN!"

* * *

 **Next Chapter:**  Let the Sea Set You Free


	22. Let the Sea Set You Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Betaread and final touches done by The Patient One! My first update of 2018! Enjoy ;)

Zoro wasn't sure what exactly he felt about Luffy's fight with Arlong.

At first, he didn't even know what to think because Luffy was clearly toying with his opponent. It didn't mean that he wasn't serious; the rubber boy always took fights seriously, despite his goofy grins and heedless attitude giving evidence to the contrary. Even in their occasional spar sessions, Luffy approached training with all the intense seriousness of a seasoned combatant who went through countless death-and-life battles.

The confrontation between the fishman and his captain was strange at first. But then, there was a shift. Just a subtle change in Luffy's demeanor that caused Zoro's grip on the handle of his katana to unconsciously tighten until it threatened to shatter. A sudden surge of adrenaline pumped through his veins and overwhelming excitement made him giddy.

And then the fight ended in a matter of seconds.

Disappointment swept over Zoro from the anticlimax of it. Not disappointment in his chosen captain, no. He was dissatisfied that Arlong was beaten so quickly, that the fishman wasn't strong enough to give Luffy a real challenge, that he, Zoro, couldn't witness his captain go all out.

Villagers were cheering around him, but Zoro paid them no mind. He squinted through the dust particles still hovering in the air, searching the area for a familiar red shirt. Movement near the wall that framed the sea gate caught his attention, and Zoro turned his head just in time to see Luffy vault himself over it.

Surprised and curious, Zoro nodded dispassionately at some villagers' seemingly unending words of gratitude, slowly moving to the edge of the crowd. With a last pat on some random guy's shoulder, he finally slipped away and walked toward the spot where his captain disappeared.

Zoro climbed on a pillar to reach the top and peeked down. Luffy was squatting by the water, feverishly scrubbing his hands in it. Thinking that the boy's mystery power already informed him about his presence, the swordsman quietly heaved himself up and over the wall, landing behind his captain on the cobbled floor with a click of his boots.

Luffy was on his feet and facing him with his stance ready and arms raised for an attack so fast that for a brief moment Zoro thought that he was going to punch him.

Of course, that didn't happen. As soon as Luffy saw who it was, the tension immediately seeped out of his posture, his arms dropped with a silent sigh of relief, and he lowered himself down to the water to continue rubbing his hands raw, though they were already thoroughly clean.

Zoro observed the boy with a small frown on his face. It seemed that Luffy wasn't unaffected by his own actions – taking two lives in a row. Some part of him relaxed at that fact, knowing that he didn't conscript himself into the crew under an extremely ruthless and bloodthirsty captain who didn't have any kind of regard for human lives.

When even after a few minutes Luffy didn't stop scrubbing his hands, Zoro finally spoke up. "Luffy," he began tentatively.

"Arlong deserved to die," Luffy stated in a quiet voice, his frantic movements not stopping in the slightest. "He's like  _them_." After a short moment, he started to mutter angrily, "…Calling themselves gods, enslaving people, branding them, using them for their own entertainment…"

The feverish muttering reached Zoro's ears, and his mind flew as it connected the pieces to what he already knew.

 **He's like _them_. ** Zoro's eyes flickered to the dagger that was attached to the lower part of the teen's back.

 **Enslaving people.** ' _If I ever feel my freedom threatened… I'd rather kill myself than lose it again._ '

 **Branding them.** Then to the spot where he saw that strange mark burned into his flesh.

 **Using them for their own entertainment.** ' _In death matches, every strike can kill you, and you learn to avoid it if you want to survive._ '

Zoro felt his stomach churn in disgust at the picture all the clues revealed. "You aren't talking about Nami anymore, are you?" he asked softly, keeping his tone carefully steady.

Luffy instantly stiffened and his hands stilled. He didn't reply, but he didn't need to; his body language told more than enough.

The silence that hung between them was truly uncomfortable, the loud cheering in the background and splashing waves with occasional seagulls screams failing to relieve it a whit.

Zoro's mind worked a mile a minute, trying to find a way to defuse this situation, not wanting to push Luffy even further if his guess turned out to be correct—and he was sure it was. Ultimately, however, relief came from another source:

"Luffy! Zoro! What are you two doing there?!"

* * *

Nami was glowing with pure joy. She met every villager's bright grin with an equally bright smile of her own. She wanted to laugh like there was no tomorrow, and she did burst into elated laughter the moment that thought crossed her mind.

Because Nami knew that tomorrow would come now, full of hope and dreams that were waiting to be chased across the seas. She was absolutely certain of that.

Arlong was dead and he wasn't coming back. His crew lay defeated and they didn't pose any threat to Cocoyashi or its people anymore. Even if they tried, Luffy and the boys were still here.

Nami looked around. Usopp was not far from her, enthusiastically recalling his grand battle with the fishman to the eager crowd with Johnny and Yosaku in the front rows, cheering for their aniki. A small frown settled on her features when she failed to spot the others, especially Luffy. Instantly, worry pushed any other thoughts away as the thief realized that she didn't see him after Arlong Park's destruction. She quickly glanced around one more time.

This time, Nami noticed Sanji leaning against the wall that separated the inner yard and the sea. He had his head up, staring at the sky, smoldering cigarette hanging loosely between his lips.

The navigator slipped away from the crowd and walked toward him. "Sanji-kun," she called softly, not wanting to startle the man. "What are you doing here? Are you feeling okay?"

The cook flashed a quick smile. "It melts my heart that you're worried about me, but I'm fine, Nami-san."

Nami scowled skeptically at him, her eyes sweeping over his body, searching for any obvious injuries. Sanji was sent flying straight through the stone fence after all. However, he really looked fine. "Have you seen Luffy? Or Zoro, for that matter?"

The blond blew out a cloud of smoke before tipping his head toward the wall and answering, "They're on the other side."

Nami blinked. "Why?" she asked, but Sanji just shrugged. "Luffy! Zoro! What are you two doing there?!"

No reply came. Then Luffy suddenly appeared in the air, using his rubber power to spring himself over the wall. He landed a few steps away from Nami.

A moment later, Zoro's green mop also popped over the edge as he pulled himself up. He grumbled a curse under his breath when his chest wound got aggravated by that kind of activity. Ignoring a slight tinge of pain, he also jumped down.

"Oh, there you all are!" Usopp exclaimed as he joined their little group. His eyes fleetly scanned each of his nakama, gauging the mood. "What are you guys doing here?"

With his brow furrowed, Luffy also looked at each of his crewmembers. "About Arlong," he started, his gaze stopping at Nami. "I don't regret killing him. Or Krieg."

Such bold and unprompted statement brought surprise and confusion on the faces of four pirates.

"But it's still a killing," the young captain continued, his expression shifting from determined into guarded. "I guess that makes me similar to those guys…" He grimaced, clearly appalled by that idea himself. "So, I understand if you want to leav—"

"Shut up."

Nami's voice wasn't loud and no action accompanied her words, but Luffy's mouth clamped up immediately. He stared intently at the female.

The straw hat shadowed Nami's eyes, her lips were pursed, fists balled at her sides, and her whole posture screamed anxiety and anger. "Do you want to take over some random island where you could go on and on how your blood is superior?" she asked.

The rubber boy scowled at her. "Of course not."

"Do you want to kill everyone in your way who dares to speak against you?"

"No!" The answer was out even before she could finish her question.

Nami looked up and met his gaze, a volatile current running beneath her voice as she put forward another question, "Will you kill your nakama to save yourself just because they are expendable to you?"

Luffy's eyes widened and his face blanched, evidently horrified by the mere thought of that. "No! Never! Not after—" He clenched his teeth, biting down on whatever sentence wanted to escape his mouth. "I would never," he finally said.

"Then." The thief moved forward, her hand reaching for the straw hat. "Stop talking nonsense, Captain," she ordered gently, putting the hat back on his head with a warm smile. "It's not like you."

The boy stared at her face for one long moment, searching for something. When he glanced at the others, Nami hoped that he did find what he was looking for.

"I was a bounty hunter," Zoro was the first one to speak. "None of the bounties wanted to go willingly so that I could collect money for their heads. Some resisted more than the others."

"I was raised by the pirate who had a reputation for kicks of ridiculous strength and brutality, leaving his shoes covered in the blood of his enemies," Sanji informed casually.

Usopp's eyes almost jumped out of their sockets. "Whoa, the old cook was that powerful?" he asked, and everyone's eyes were suddenly on him. The liar gulped. Right now, he realized that all in all he had a pretty good, peaceful life compared to the rest of his crew. He didn't have to kill anyone, he wasn't an ex-bounty hunter or raised by an infamous pirate.

"Well, don't get surprised once you hear it," Usopp began, a fictional story already miles long in his head, "but I'm the King of the Snipers from the super-secret Sniper's Island!" A cocky grin slid on his lips. "I gained that title then I was five years old due to my awe-inspiring skills during the war between the tribe of little people and the evil throne usurper. For I, the Great Capt– Uh… For I, the Great King of the Snipers Usopp, single-handedly eliminated the tyrant's forces..." He made a dramatic pause before shoving his fist forward with his little finger outstretched. "…with only my pinky."

Nami crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the long-nosed teen unimpressed. "Wouldn't that mean that your sniper skills were useless?"

The liar blinked. "Eh?"

"Yeah, Usopp," Sanji chimed in, "don't be a mindless brute like some Cactus-head."

Zoro twitched. "Oi, cook, what did you call me?!"

"Who said I was talking about you?" The blond turned to him with a sly smirk. "But if you want to be called that…"

The green-haired man flicked his katana out of its sheath. "Wanna fight, you pervert?"

"Don't call me that, you shitty swordsman!"

As they got into each other's faces, Nami appeared beside them. "Settle down, you two!" she yelled, smacking them both upside their heads. "We're having a serious conversation here."

"Ahhh! Nami-swan is so beautiful when she's angry!"

Zoro rubbed the offended spot, glaring at the thief. "What the hell, witch?!"

"Oi, Cactus-head, don't insult the lady!"

As they both went at it again, Nami heaved a suffering sigh. "I said…" she began softly, raising her fists. "SETTLE DOWN!"

This time, her double punch left them lying on the ground.

Usopp paled as he watched Nami subduing two monsters so easily. "Nami's scary!" he yelped.

The navigator's fiery eyes were instantly on him. "You said something, Usopp?"

The sniper shook his head so fast that it made him dizzy. "No, ma'am!"

Meanwhile, Luffy just watched his nakama, a smile growing on his lips with every passing second until it reached its peak, bright and powerful, taking a shape of a perfect D. "Shishishishi." His quiet laugh got his crew's attention. "Yosh!" Luffy fixed his straw hat more firmly on his head and announced, "Next stop – the Grand Line!"

The four pirate's faces lightened up. "Aye, Captain!"

* * *

Genzo was skeptical. It came with the territory really – they just spent the last eight years oppressed by the tyrannical pirate crew, merely allowed to exist underneath them, just like Arlong had claimed so many times.

Not anymore, for they were saved by another pirate crew. Irony at its best.

But there was no such thing as heroic pirates, so, of course, Genzo was not convinced that these kids didn't have any hidden agenda for their actions. He kept a close eye on them as they walked towards Cocoyashi Village, worried and unhappy that it was only he, Nami, and Nojiko accompanying the pirates. Being locals, the three of them led the way with the swordsman and the suit-guy in the middle, the captain and the long-nosed teen bringing up the rear.

The green-haired pirate was subtly shooting heated glares at the back of Nami's head while the blond not so subtly ogled at the two sisters. That didn't help put Genzo's mind at ease. At least the captain wasn't making any concerning moves, too busy listening to the other boy narrating his many grandiose adventures alongside wild gestures and mocking laughter at his supposed adversaries.

And that kid with a straw hat was the biggest mystery of this group. Sporting a broad smile and with eyes twinkling in amusement, he truly gave an impression of being simply an innocent kid, nothing like the ruthless and experienced fighter Genzo had witnessed. That kind of criminal was the most dangerous. There was no way to know what exactly they were planning.

While the ex-soldier pondered, the two men in the middle were drawn into the long-nosed one's story when they challenged whatever the latter had proclaimed. He also noticed Nami slowly gravitating to join them, and he couldn't let that happen.

Heroes or not, they were still pirates.

Genzo grabbed Nami by her arm, causing her to look at him in confusion. He leaned closer and whispered, "Can we trust those pirates?"

"Of course," she replied instantly without a shred of doubt in her tone.

"They're pirates. That boy not only killed Arlong, but ripped his heart out," the ex-soldier argued.

"And that monster deserved that," Nojiko chimed in from Nami's other side, scowling disapprovingly at Genzo. "Just how many humans he had killed during all these years?"

"I know that, but… pirates are always up to no good."

Nami furrowed her brow too, her dislike of his animosity towards her nakama written all over her face. After a moment, she abruptly stopped walking, yanked her arm out of his grip, put it on her waist and declared proudly, "I'm a pirate, too."

The four male pirates flanked her, looking puzzled at what was going on.

"You were forced to be a pirate!" Genzo countered. "Now that Arlong is gone, you're free from it!"

"True, but I wasn't talking about Arlong Pirates," the thief said, a mischievous smirk curling on her lips and her brown orbs gleaming with joy. "I'll be leaving with Luffy as a member of his crew!"

The man's eyes widened. "Whaaat?!" he cried out in surprise.

"Shishishishi!"

"Yeah, Nami-san! Let's go together!"

After opening and closing his mouth a few times without any sound leaving him, Genzo finally managed to gather his wits. "Have you lost your mind, girl?" he hissed. "Bellemere would never—!"

"She wouldn't be against it," Nojiko cut him off with certainty.

"Nojiko!"

"And even if she said 'No'," the blue-haired woman continued, ignoring the old man's rebuke, "would you listen, Nami?"

The navigator grinned. "No way!"

Both sisters were staring at Genzo now as if challenging to contradict that statement. He tried to find any valid arguments to make these stubborn girls understand the consequences of that decision, but came up empty.

"Don't worry, Pinwheel-ossan," Luffy said. "Nami is nakama, we'll keep her safe."

The gaze of those sharp black eyes was unnerving, but Genzo could see only honesty and conviction shining in their depths. And it was impossible to miss how Nami's expression lit up from hearing those words. He frowned. "Being a pirate… No, being a member of your crew, it will be a dangerous endeavor. Can you vow on your life that you'll protect her?" the man challenged.

"Gen-san! What are you—?"

"Yes."

There was no pause, no doubt, no buts or ifs. The young captain delivered his answer with the same strength he used for his punches. The kid continued to pin him in place with that unwavering stare, and Genzo felt the fight draining out of him. "Alright," he sighed. "I guess I have no other choice but believe you."

Luffy's smile flared to an incredible level.

"But first, you need to show that shoulder to the doctor," the man reminded as he regarded the pirate with a more caring attitude. The latter scrunched his face in a displeased grimace.

"Our resident algae also needs a check-up from a professional," the suit-guy spoke nonchalantly.

Genzo only blinked, his mind drawing a blank. The long-nosed teen sniggered, but was silenced by the swordsman's glare. "You bastard," the latter growled as he turned to the blond again. "You're really asking for it..."

His threat was brought up short when Nami slapped a palm on his chest, making him clench his teeth and cringe. "Zoro," she said sternly. "No fighting, no sparring, no training, and no  _drinking_ until you get that gash taken care of."

"What—you can't just—"

"I'll show you to Dr. Nako's clinic," Nami cut him off with finality.

"That reminds me of that time when I battled the evil doctor. Armed with only my wits, I faced his thousand men zombie army!"

"Shishishishi! That's amazing, Usopp!"

"Luffy. You're coming too."

"But, Namiiiii~! I don't like doctors!"

"…Just imagining Nami-san in the nurse's costu—"

"Don't put me in the middle of your perverted dreams!"

Genzo was startled out of his shocked stupor when Nojiko chuckled. "I don't think you need to worry about them hurting Nami, Gen-san," she said, amused by the scene in front of her. "It most likely will be her bossing them around."

The ex-soldier couldn't help but laugh at that. "Without a doubt, you two are Bellemere's daughters. Strong, hard-headed women, just doing whatever you want or feel is right." He paused, his eyes wandering from the lively pirates to the direction of one special grave. "She would be proud."

* * *

Luffy pouted. This was his last shirt and they had to cut its sleeve so that the doctor could access the bite wound Arlong had left on his shoulder. They tried to make him take it off, but there was no way Luffy would have allowed some strangers see that thing on his back, so that was the only acceptable compromise for both parties.

The straw-hatted teen sat on the ground, leaning against the wall of the clinic with his hands behind his head. The people, going in and out of the building, did a double take as they passed him. They easily recognized him as a pirate captain who defeated Arlong and killed him in a pretty gory way (although seemingly nobody had seen him doing it, so there was a lot of speculation going around). The sight of him so obviously pouting like a perturbed child caught everyone off guard.

Sanji and Usopp lounged on the nearby round bench in the shade of the umbrella, listening to moans and groans of pain, coming through the nearby window. The cook held the smoldering cigarette near his mouth, but didn't appear to be in a hurry to finish it, his eyes following a random cloud in the sky.

Usopp shifted as yet another muffled scream escaped from the clinic. "They're still working on him?"

"Well, of course. That was a serious injury," Sanji replied. "Alain might have checked Zoro, but he's a cook, not a doctor."

The sniper hummed in agreement. Then he glanced at his captain. "What's up, Luffy?"

"This is my last shirt…"

"You should have just taken it off when they asked you to," Sanji chided. "You gave so much trouble to Nami-san."

Luffy pouted even more. "I would have been fine... I'm a rubber, I heal fast."

"Stop complaining," Nami ordered as she walked out of the clinic and heard her captain's last words. They stared at each other before her hands went up in surrender. "Fine! I'll see if I can find you a replacement. I can do at least this much." The new wave of Zoro's groans made her wince. "We really should recruit a doctor as soon as possible."

Luffy frowned. "But I want a fluffy one and a musician first."

The thief shook her head, her lips curling into a fond curve, and murmured, "You and your fluffy one..."

Occupied with the current state of her crewmates, Nami didn't notice the lone fishman who had escaped the carnage coming from behind her. When she finally took notice of his presence, she flinched visibly.

Hachi offered a sad, tight smile, backing up a bit to give the girl more space between them. Bandages covered most of his body and his every move was stiff and measured. "I'm sorry, Nami," the octopus said quietly.

The navigator's expression twisted into a scowl. "It's not like I'll forgive you for everything your crew did to me and this island if you apologize," she responded coldly. Hachi shrunk away from her harsh tone, and after a moment Nami heaved a defeated sigh. "But you helped us when it mattered, so you're heading in the right direction."

The fishman beamed at her. "Nyu! Thank you, Nami!"

"What will you do now, Hachi?" Usopp inquired.

"I did enough bad things, I'm done being a pirate," Hachi declared bitterly. "Mohmoo and I will go back home to the Fishman Island and…" He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I always dreamed of owning a takoyaki stand."

Sanji perked up. "Takoyaki stand?"

"Yeah! I'm pretty good at cooking takoyaki!" the octopus exclaimed proudly. "You're going to the Grand Line, right?" He brightened up even more as the pirates nodded. "Once you arrive at the Fishman Island I'll feed you as much takoyaki as you'll be able to eat!"

Nami grimaced. "Fishman Island, huh?" she muttered.

"Fishman Island is the halfway point," Luffy said, standing up and dusting himself off. "It's still a long way for us."

Usopp cocked his head to the side. "Halfway point?"

"Tooki told me that if pirates wanted to go to the second half of the Grand Line, they had to travel through the Fishman Island." The boy put a hand on his straw hat, a grin stretching from one ear to another. "One Piece is somewhere out there and I can't become the Pirate King without finding it. We're definitely gonna pass it eventually, so I'll hold you to your word, Hachi."

Nami leaned closer to the octopus and whispered to him conspiratorially, "From my personal experience, I must advise you against making promises of feeding Luffy until you see what kind of bottomless pit he is."

"No problem! I'll be prepared for you all!"

The navigator shrugged. "Don't cry later that I didn't warn you."

"Ne, Hachi?" When the fishman looked at him, Luffy asked, "Is there any chance that you'll see Jinbe?"

"Nyu… Probably," Hachi replied, scratching his head in thought. "Since Boss Jinbe became a Warlord, he usually stays on the Fishman Island."

"Can you tell him that I have a message from Tooki and will want to meet with him?"

"Sure."

Luffy grinned. "Thanks!"

* * *

The party went far into the night and nobody seemed to even have a thought to stop. The whole island gathered in the Cocoyashi Village as soon as they heard the news to celebrate the defeat of the Arlong Pirates and their newly found freedom.

Nami was walking through the crowd, looking around. She squeezed her right upper arm where her new tattoo was hidden under the bandages. The thief was excited to share the news that she got rid of Arlong's mark with her nakama, especially with Luffy. If she could find them in this chaos.

Finally, Nami caught a glimpse of that familiar straw hat. She was about to call her captain's name when a laugh nearby made her blood run cold.

"Chichichi!"

Her head snapped towards the direction he heard it, the joy of her new tattoo all but forgotten. People were clustering into a big group, surrounding a few Marines in the middle. And captain Nezumi was in the front, a smug look adorning his face as he stared at the people like they were just dirt beneath him.

"What a lucky day indeed. I would never have thought that those disgusting fishmen could be defeated by some random passing pirates," Nezumi spoke, lazily scanning upset villagers around him. No one dared to move against him because of his subordinates aiming their guns at them. "But thanks to them, Arlong's bounty, as well as all his treasures, belongs to me. You can be thankful that I, Captain Nezumi, of the Marine's 16th Battalion, arrived just in time for—"

"Don't joke around, you scum!"

Nezumi sneered at Nami who pushed her way through to the front and now was glaring furiously at him, clenching her teeth.

"And, pray tell me, what I am joking about?" the Marine scoffed. "Everything of pirates belongs to the Marines. If you people won't return what you stole from there, I will be forced to take action."

"Stole?!" Nami screamed, seeing red. "You almost killed Nojiko and Gen-san! You stole my money and did nothing against Arlong for so many years! You have no right to do anything now!"

"Che, stupid girl," Nezumi spat before a malicious grin distorted his features. "And what can you do? You're alone, and if any of you would dare to go against me, you would go against the World Government! Hahahaha!" he finished with a loud bellow of laughter. "Now, where is my treasure?"

Nami bit her lip. Her mind whirred with possible solutions to this situation, but none of them was good enough. She didn't want to put the people of Cocoyashi into any unnecessary danger. They had been through enough already. She really had no other choice but to give—

"Going against the World Government? Count me in." A voice full of amusement drew everyone's attention to the side where civilians parted, letting Luffy step through. His eyes shone with dark delight, strengthened by a sharp, predatory grin on his face. He stopped in front of the Marine and cracked his knuckles. "And I can start with you."

Nezumi's eyes bulged out and his jaw dropped. "W-W-Who the hell are you?!"

A few muffled screams together with a sound of flesh hitting flesh rang from behind him. As a gust of wind ruffled his clothes, Nezumi swiveled around, almost tripping over his own feet in a rush. His escort of Marines was down for the count with three strangers standing in their places.

"Gobbling all the fun for yourself again, Luffy?" Zoro inquired with a smirk and his hand casually resting on the handle of his katana.

Sanji flicked an ash from his cigarette. "Seriously, it's my job to save the lady in trouble."

"I-I don't mind!" Usopp stuttered out.

Happiness swelled in Nami's chest, filling her being to the brim and threatening to spill over. She was far from being alone. Her nakama were here with her. "Guys, this one's mine," she said, motioning at shell-shocked Marine Captain. "Can I borrow your staff, Luffy?"

The rubber pirate blinked at her, and then with a shrug reached behind his back. In a second, the metal Bo staff was assembled and offered to Nami.

It was so much heavier than the thief was used to. Its weight pulled her arms down, but at the same time, it was reassuring. Because she knew that whatever happened, her crew had her back.

Nami pushed everything into that swing, every ounce of negative emotions she accumulated during these long eight years: her despair, sadness, grief, anger, disappointment, pain, resentment, fear, helplessness. She couldn't hit Arlong with all that anymore, so this pathetic Marine would have to do.

The staff collided with Nezumi's ugly mug, knocking out a few teeth and sending him skidding backward. The inertia of the metal Bo staff was much stronger than Nami anticipated and she stumbled herself.

Sanji was suddenly there, his arms steadying her before she could face plant onto the ground. "Careful, Nami-san," he cautioned gently.

The thief flashed him a smile and muttered a quick thank-you. Then she gripped the staff more firmly and strode towards the collapsed Marine. It wasn't a fast gait, but it was strong and full of purpose.

Nezumi twitched as Nami neared him. "Y-You can't do this to me!" he yelled, glaring up at her. "I'm the captain of the Mariiiiiiiiii—!" He squealed when a high-heeled sandal stomped on his crotch.

All present males winced in sympathy—enemy or not, that was cruel.

"We're pirates. We don't care about some measly rotten Marine," Nami stated, a hint of steel in her voice, her brown orbs cold like the surface of a winter puddle. "You see that young man with a straw hat? That's our captain. That random passing pirate who dealt with Arlong? That's him." She leaned closer and added quietly, "Ripped that monster's heart out with his bare hands." She paused, letting those words sink in. "I heard he isn't very fond of corrupt Marines… I wonder what he would do to  _you_  if I let him."

Nami smiled darkly at the sheer terror on Nezumi's face. She felt a bit bad using Luffy like that, but it worked so well!

"Now," the navigator said, putting a bit more weight on her leg that pressured the Marine's manhood. The latter squeaked in alarm. "You guys will take care of cleaning up after the fishmen and help reconstruct Gosa Village. You won't touch even the slightest bit of Arlong's money. All of it belongs to the people of this island! And you  _will_  return everything you stole from me. Till. The last. Beli. Understand?" She flicked the stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "Or should I call Luffy here to have a talk with you first?"

Nezumi paled. "N-No! I understand! I-I'll do as you say…"

"Good, because if you don't, we're gonna hunt you down."

"O-Okay…!"

Nami glared down at him for a bit longer, then, with the last press on his sensitive parts, she walked away.

"He seems so scared. What did you tell him?" Usopp wondered curiously as the navigator rejoined them.

A laugh welled in Nami's throat, and she couldn't stop it. After calming down, she grinned at her bewildered nakama, wide and bright, and said, "I told him just how cool we are."

* * *

The party resumed all night and into the next day. People were too rejoiced to end it so soon, so after some rest, the celebration continued in full force.

Nezumi kept his word and delivered Nami's stolen money, giving other pirates a wide berth. Before leaving though, he did yell to Luffy that he was going to regret going against him. The moment the young captain turned around to look at the Marine from the other side of the square, the man was already fleeing from his sight.

It confused Luffy, but he just shrugged it off and continued to devour free food around him.

Later that day, the pirates gathered at the shore to bid farewell to Hachi and Mohmoo. The octopus fishman didn't want to stay longer than was absolutely necessary, not wanting to antagonize the villagers with his presence. Both parties confirmed the promise to meet again at Fishman Island and cheerfully parted ways.

Because of more Marines coming, the crew agreed to leave as quickly as possible. The next morning, few hours after the sunrise, Nojiko accompanied Nami to where Going Merry was anchored to see the pirates off.

Luffy jumped down onto the land to meet two sisters while others stayed on the ship. "Ready, Nami?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, moving forward to the ship. Suddenly she froze, they departure from Syrup Village coming to her mind. ' _I thought it was a normal way to say goodbye to a female._ ' Nami's eyes widened and she whipped her head to look at Luffy. He was staring at his sister with a wide grin, an—

"No kissing!" the thief suddenly screamed causing everyone to blink at her, completely stumped.

"Kissing?" Sanji's blond mop poked from the galley. "Someone said something about kissing?"

Nojiko smiled slyly. "Getting possessive, eh, Nami?"

"No! Just…" The navigator rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "Luffy's understanding of saying goodbyes to females is a bit strange."

"Hey! Shanks did that all the time!" Luffy bristled. "And Makino always was so happy after it! I don't see how's that a bad thing!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Of course, you wouldn't get it. Just how old are you, anyway? Fifteen? Thirteen?"

The straw-hatted pirate frowned. "I'm seventeen."

"You're seventeen?!" Nami and Usopp shrieked in unison, and even Zoro looked surprised. "But you're so…" the navigator paused. "…short!"

"So?" Luffy seemed even more confused. "I can still kick ass!"

Nojiko chuckled. "Well, he's of the right age," she commented smugly. "And quite cute."

Nobody gave the slightest attention to a sudden wail of 'Noooooooooo!' in the background.

Still shocked that Luffy was actually only a year younger than her, Nami couldn't even react to what her sister said. "…Huh?" was her eloquent respond.

With the same sly smirk on her features, Nojiko darted past her and planted a quick kiss on Luffy's cheek. "I'm entrusting my sister to you. Keep her safe," she whispered into his ear and then backed off with a grin.

The straw-hatted pirate flashed a thumb up to her and then turned to Nami, looking so smug that the latter instantly wanted to facepalm. "See? Shanks  _was_  right," he stated as if it was she who was slow on the uptake.

Nami gave in to her urge to facepalm, Sanji grumbled something about lucky bastards, and the rest of them burst out laughing.

* * *

Nami exited Merry's storage room and stretched her arms with a pleased groan.

It was a very early morning – the sun was yet to rise – on the second day after their departure from Conomi Islands. With her sails rolled up and anchor dropped for the night, Going Merry was lightly rocking under the still, dark, starry sky.

Nami looked around the ship, her gaze stopping briefly at silhouettes of the three Bellemere's mikan trees. They were among the few trees that survived the destruction of the groove, and Nojiko had insisted that she would take them on her voyage so that she could always remember her home. Now, the navigator was really happy that she didn't fight her sister.

An appetizing smell tickled her nose, wafting out of the kitchen area where Nami could hear Sanji cluttering the dishes in breakfast preparation for the crew. If she pricked her ears, she could also hear a faint muttering from the back of the ship.

"—two hundred seventeen… two hundred eighteen… two hundred—"

Nami sighed. Stupid Neanderthal was already training, despite the doctor's orders to rest for at least a few more days.

The thief's eyes moved towards Merry's front and she wasn't surprised to find Luffy sitting on the figurehead, watching the sea. It was a common sight, especially when his nightmares and night terrors got too intense even for Zoro's presence to soothe them.

Usopp was not around, so Nami knew that he was most likely sleeping. The sniper took it upon himself to cheer their captain up on these occasions by telling stories, each one more daring than the last. And it worked – Luffy always listened with rapt attention, instead of spending time with whatever ghosts were haunting him.

However, every time the faraway sky filled with blended reddish golden tones, Luffy's attention would flitter away and Usopp would quiet down, both of them observing the sun breaching the horizon in an awed silence.

Nami never understood what was so fascinating about the sunrise.

The navigator slowly walked to the bow. "Luffy, I…" she started as she approached the motionless captain, unsure of what exactly she wanted to say. "I'm sorry for slapping you," she blurted out without thinking.

The straw-hatted boy looked at her with a small, baffled furrow on his brow. "It's okay."

"Still. I feel so bad…"

"You're nakama. You're among those I promised to protect."

And there it was – the words conveyed in that matter-of-fact tone, that lit her up inside and granted the feeling of belonging she didn't know that she could ever feel again. The tears stung Nami's eyes again, but this time they didn't arise from her sadness and despair. She laughed unexpectedly, brushing her hand across her face to wipe them away.

"Look, Nami. The sun is rising."

The first brilliant rays appeared on the skyline, a breathtaking display of radiant colors. Bright streaks of red, pink, orange, and yellow slowly overcame the dark blue and purple of the twilight sky, splashing the clouds with an endless palette of vivid and vibrant hues. The sea was no longer an abyss of black, glistening as the occasional spear of light danced over the surface.

All the bitter moments of those bad times Nami had just been through seemed to wash away with the soft lullaby the waves sang along the dawn. A herald of a new day, full of hopes and dreams, a day of carefree freedom she never believed to witness again.

Suddenly, it was crystal clear why Luffy loved it so much.

An easy salty breeze picked up, caressing Luffy's skin and ruffling his black hair. He lifted his hand towards the horizon, letting the soft amber glow of the sunrise pour through his fingers and onto his peaceful face. "It's great, isn't it?" he said. "To be free."

Watching Luffy smile at this moment was like watching the sun rise the second time.

* * *

**Next Chapter:**  The Stranger on the Dawn Island (Part I)


	23. The Stranger on the Dawn Island (Part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The most fantastic job on Betareading was done by The Patient One.

**-around 2 years ago, the Dawn Island-**

Luffy sat in his favorite spot on the cliff overlooking the sea. The sun had already risen and now bathed the world in its ethereal golden and red light.

A soft sigh left the boy's mouth. He missed Ace.

It had been six months since his brother left to become a pirate and chase after his dreams. Luffy longed to see Ace, the loneliness dragging him deeper into that dark place where he never wanted to be again.

He missed Sabo, too. Oh, how he missed his cheerful, kind-hearted blond brother.

Sad black eyes wandered around, following a random wave at the surface of the sea, then flicking to the lonely seagull that flew towards the shore, passing above a strangely shaped washed-up log on the beach.

Luffy squinted at it, but apart from its odd form, nothing seemed amiss. At this distance and in the dim light of the dawn, he couldn't really determine what exactly piqued his interest. His curiosity getting the better of him, the boy quickly stood up and slid down the slope onto the beach.

When he was a few steps away, Luffy immediately stopped when he realized that the 'log' was a person. The rubber boy scrunched his face up in disgust; Ace, Sabo, and he once discovered a drowned person washed ashore, and it wasn't a pretty picture. None of them could even look at the food for a whole day without wanting to throw up, and with his and Ace's appetites, that was telling a lot.

The boy sniffed the air. No smell yet, so it meant that the body got carried here tonight and wasn't exposed to the sun thus far. He really needed to bury it before the sun reached its peak and birds found it.

With his mind set on this task, the young teen approached the body. It was a man, as far as he could tell, with dark short messy hair and wearing a hoodie with the hood raised, one of his arms twisted under.

Luffy reached to roll him over, but the moment he grabbed the hoodie, he heard it – a quiet, almost inaudible groan. With eyes wide in alarm, he jumped away from the stranger, ready to defend himself if needed.

For the next few moments, the boy held his breath in and strained his ears to listen. However, there were no more sounds or any kind of movement from the man. Furrowing his brow, he nudged the not-so-dead guy with his feet instead. Nothing. He squatted down and carefully rolled him on his back, eliciting another silent groan.

The left hand that was previously hidden under the man's body, now rested on his chest, and Luffy froze at the sight of one side of metal cuffs locked on it. He touched it with great caution, and withdrew his hand as if it was burned the instant that it touched. Sea prism stone. He would never forget the feeling of that accursed thing touching his skin, draining his strength, leaving him weak and hopeless and at the mercy of—

A shake of his head banished those awful memories back into the darkness from where they had crawled out, allowing him to focus again on the stranger.

The left side of his hoodie, including its sleeve, was shredded and burned, stained with dark blotches that Luffy knew immediately were blood.

Luffy's frown deepened. He couldn't just leave this guy here. If he was a Devil Fruit user, he would definitely die from that kind of nasty injury with the sea stone cuffs on and drenched in seawater on top of it. And if he was on a run from someone—which he most certainly was—he needed a safe place to recover and figure out how to take the manacles off.

Decision made, the straw-hatted teen maneuvered himself so that he could heave the stranger on his shoulders and carry him to the treehouse.

Travel through the forest with such a heavy burden was pretty slow, but Luffy persevered. Once he reached the treehouse, he decided against hauling the injured man up. It would have unnecessarily aggravated his wounds, and a bonfire would help to keep him warm during the night; Luffy could already feel the stranger's skin being clammy from fever.

It was as safe on the ground as it was up in the actual treehouse; the beasts of Mt. Colubo knew better than to approach this place too close. He and Ace secured the area years ago by setting traps around the whole perimeter. And if that somehow failed, Luffy was a light sleeper and there was no creature on the island that could stand against him. Overall, he wasn't worried about that.

His injuries, on the other hand… Luffy wasn't very good at giving first aid, it usually was Ace or bandits who took care of whatever damage they'd managed to inflict upon themselves. He had only managed to pick up a few basics from observing: bandaging the wounds to stop the bleeding and putting a healing salve on the burned skin.

Luffy had realized that the stranger's injuries were serious once he removed the damaged clothes, and he debated with himself whether or not it would be better to ask Dadan and the gang for help. Ultimately, however, he decided to rely on his basic knowledge unless the situation worsened; the less people that knew about this guy at this moment, the lower the chances that his enemies would find him.

Luffy cleaned and bandaged the wounds to the best of his abilities, then nestled the man into the blankets that he brought from the treehouse. The moment he finished that task, a tattooed hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Luffy froze. A panic instantly bubbled inside of him, provoked by the unfamiliar person's touch, but he pushed down the urge to swat it away. There was no malicious intent etched in the man's presence; the boy could feel only fear and confusion. Hazy, unfocused, and barely open amber eyes were staring at him.

The hand slid from his wrist a moment later. Luffy caught it and put it down gently. There had been no force in that grip in the first place, the action itself probably cost all the strength the guy had left.

"You're safe," Luffy said softly but firmly, peering directly into those bleary eyes. "No one is going to hurt you."

That was what Luffy had always wanted to hear while stuck in  _that_  place, while being hurt and exhausted, vulnerable and despaired, so he poured all of his heart into those words. He wanted—no,  _needed_ —to be believed in, for he wished to give others what Ace finally made real for him—the sense of safety.

After a moment, the man's eyes fluttered closed and he was lost to the blissful unconsciousness once again.

* * *

Several hours later found Luffy tucking the blankets back around the stranger after they were tossed away and frowning worriedly at his pale and sweaty face drawn with pain. Fever nightmares were the worst kind and it seemed that they refused to give this guy a break.

The straw-hatted teen sighed, moving towards the bonfire to kindle it. It was middle of the night already. Earlier that day, Luffy had made a quick trip to the bandits and brought more bandages and some medicine. They hadn't let him abscond with the supplies without revealing why he needed it; fortunately, however, they also instructed him on what to do to reduce the fever and promised to visit Goa to purchase more medication.

With the fire back in perfect shape, Luffy prepared a wet cloth to help with the fever. When he brought it over, he was surprised to see those amber orbs staring at him again. However, the man seemed even more out of it than the first time he'd regained consciousness. "You're still safe," the boy assured with a warm smile.

The stranger was still looking at him, then a few tears rolled down from his eyes and a faint whisper left his lips, "…Cora-san?"

There was no point in denying or telling this guy that he wasn't the person he was calling for, so Luffy simply brushed his tears away and said softly, "Go back to sleep."

* * *

Law woke up to the world of pain, splitting headache, constant strength draining effect of sea stone, and fever induced dizziness. Not to mention the lingering terror at the back of his mind from the nightmares.

But he was alive. Somehow.

How the hell he was alive?

Law tried to open his eyes and winced as the light hit them. With a groan, he brought his right hand to shield them and lay there for a while, assessing his body's condition.

That explosion really did a number on him. He could barely move his left arm without wincing in pain, not to mention the damned sea stone cuffs that were still on it. And he lost the key when Gladius exploded the wall where Law had hid to hurriedly unlock the cuffs and then escape.

This was great. Just… plain fantastic. With Kikoku missing as well, he had absolutely no means to protect himself now.

With the grim state of his body established, Law turned his senses outward. He heard leaves dancing in the slight breeze, the echoing sounds of forest animals far away, and birdsong all around. The air was rich with the fragrance of greenery and earth, and as he carefully opened his eyes and blinked several times to adjust, he was met with a sight of the high tree canopy, sun streaking through the boughs in brilliant beams, and what appeared to be a treehouse.

The pirate lowered his gaze down to the ground. A black-haired boy with a straw hat resting messily on his head slept nearby, tightly wrapped in a blanket and slumped against a tree root.

_You're safe. No one is going to hurt you._

A deep frown creased Law's face as the words floated at the forefront of his mind. Where did that come from?

Suddenly, a kid jerked awake and literally shot from his spot to his feet in an instant, startling Law. He took in the boy's pale face and wide, fear-stricken eyes, sweeping around as if searching for a non-existent threat.

After a moment, the kid seemed to calm down, raking fingers through his hair and pulling his straw hat back on, fixing it in its place. Then he turned around and blinked as their eyes met. "You're awake!" he exclaimed with so much genuine joy and a bright grin on top, that it momentarily threw Law off balance.

Painstakingly slowly, he lifted himself up into a sitting position, stubbornly ignoring the burning pain in his whole left side. The simple action left him almost gasping for air, but even if this was just a kid, there was no way that Law would let his guard down. Sitting at least gave him some semblance of defense, though he knew well that it was just an illusion.

The boy was right next to him in a flash, his brow slightly furrowed. Black eyes watched Law's every slight move with a startling sharpness, probably noticing wincing and stiffening, but he said nothing. He looked to the side, then stretched his arm all the way across his little camp and grabbed a waterskin.

Law's eyes widened at the display. "D-Devil Fruit?" he croaked out, hating how his voice stuttered due to his dry throat.

"Yeah!" The teen grinned at him, offering the waterskin to him. "Just like you, right?" When the man eyed the offered item suspiciously, the boy uncorked it unprompted and took a deep gulp before offering it again. "Water's safe."

_You're safe. No one is going to hurt you._

Unbidden, those words emerged in Law's head again. He was not even sure why his mind seemed so fixated on them, but this confirmed that they definitely came from the kid.

Seeing that the latter went out of his way to assure that the water was indeed safe to drink, Law gripped the neck of the waterskin and guided it to his mouth. His left arm was useless, so the boy still held the heavy waterskin, his other hand shooting out to steady the man when he lost his balance for a brief second. Law drank his fill, feeling refreshed despite the lingering lightheadedness from his fever.

"Where am I?" the surgeon asked, wiping his lips with the back of his hand.

"Dawn Island."

Law had never heard of such an island. "Do you know in which part of the North Blue it is?"

The boy looked at him incredulously before replying, "It's in the East Blue."

The pirate's thoughts screeched to an abrupt halt. "…What?" he rasped out.

"You're in the East Blue," the teen repeated patiently. "Are you from the North Blue?"

The question earned him a deadpan stare of disbelief.

Well, Law certainly was from the North Blue. His crew was still in the North Blue, and he got ambushed and captured by Doflamingo's lackeys in the North Blue. He didn't even realize how  _long_  he had been in their hands, but apparently it had been weeks if they managed to enter into the Grand Line and then cut through the Calm Belt into the East Blue. Probably for some business they wanted to take care of before shipping him to the damn Warlord himself.

"Unbelievable," Law muttered, rubbing his eyes with his index and thumb as if trying to massage away the headache.

If there was one silver lining to this situation, it was that his crew should be safe. He left them to oversee the construction of their submarine while he traveled to the nearby island to collect some information. He hoped that they weren't freaking out too much because of his impromptu disappearance.

"So, what's your name?" the kid asked curiously, not deterred that his first question was ignored.

The surgeon sighted, still with his hand on his eyes. "Trafalgar Law."

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" the boy introduced with a great enthusiasm.

Law dropped his hand and snapped his head up to look at him so fast that it made him dizzy. "D?!" he all but demanded, all his anxiety and surprise and urgency crammed into that one syllable.

After what Cora-san said about people with the middle name of D, after what he did because Law carried that name, after that clumsy idiot sacrificed his life for him, he always kept an eye and an ear for others like him. However, besides his dead family, he had never met another D before, hadn't even heard about one.

But now he was accidentally saved by a D?

Luffy, though, suddenly grew wary, his eyes hardened in suspicion, lips thinned, and his muscles tensed, ready to spring into action any given moment and defend himself. "You know something about D?" he asked carefully, a barely perceptible threatening note underlying his soft voice.

Law picked up on it. He sighed again, collecting himself. It wasn't like him to lose his cool like that. Damn this pain and this fever. "A very important person to me once said that we're enemies of gods."

The kid stared at him. "We?" His eyes widened in realization. "Are you a D too?"

If he had been in less pain, Law would have facepalmed. Really, he needed to get a grip! Mistakes like that could cost him his life.

"…Yes," he admitted begrudgingly.

Luffy simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Enemies of gods, huh?" he muttered, his lips twitching down into a frown. "That person wasn't wrong, you know."

Law blinked at him.

The boy had his head turned to the side, glaring at nothing in particular, but what shocked the man was the look in those onyx orbs. They were too dark, too intense, and too  _jaded_  for a child of his age, filled with smoldering fury and deep hatred.

Like his own.

Luffy suddenly heaved a heavy sigh, closing his eyes, visibly anchoring himself back into reality. Then he stood up. "I met those gods," he uttered quietly as he walked to the bonfire and crouched down, his voice eerily void of any emotion. "We're enemies, alright."

Law stared at the boy's back, unable to read his shadowed expression anymore, but there was definitely a story there. A story that was better left untouched.

Just like his.

"The person who told you that," Luffy spoke again, "is he also a D?"

"He wasn't."

The boy hummed, lowering himself down to fan a fire, but didn't comment on the past tense. "I'll have to go food hunting today," he stated absentmindedly. "Didn't have time yesterday."

"How long have I been here?" Law inquired, inspecting the bandages.

"A day," Luffy replied, glancing at Law over his shoulder. Noticing what he was doing, he flashed him a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm not good at that."

"It's good enough," the surgeon assured. "I'm a doctor, I can take care of it myself now."

"Ooh! How cool!" the kid cheered before suddenly he perked up and turned his head to stare at the forest.

Two men walked out of it after a few minutes, stopping short once they saw Law. The latter also tensed at the unfamiliar people, quietly clicking his tongue when he instinctively reached for his sword that wasn't here.

"Hey, Dogra! Magra!" Luffy greeted them both with an exuberant wave and a big grin. "Did you bring the stuff?"

"Yeah," the short one confirmed, his narrowed eyes resting on Law.

The boy bounced to them, seemingly none the wiser of the glaring battle between two parties, and grabbed the small paper bag from the other man's hands. "Thanks!"

"Who's that?" the one whose appearance resembles that of a chicken asked, pointing at the surgeon.

"A friend," Luffy answered without skipping a beat. "His name's Traffy."

Law twitched at his butchered name, but didn't correct it. It was better that these two guys didn't know his real name.

"Ma, ma, Luffy, are sure about him?"

"Yep. He's a good person."

"Really?" Dogra doubted, his gaze zeroing on the DEATH tattooed on Law's fingers.

"You know that Ace would kill us if something happened to you while you're still here," Magra pointed out.

"Nah, Ace wouldn't kill you. He loves you all too much," Luffy brushed his concerns off, grinning brightly. "He would probably just beat you all to bloody pulps."

The two men grimaced. "I don't even know if it's better or worse," Dogra grumbled.

"Shishishishi!"

With a last glance towards Law, they turned around to leave. "Be careful, Luffy," Magra warned.

"You know where to find us if you need anything," the other one added.

"Yeah. Bye!" Luffy returned to the surgeon's side and offered the bag to him. "Medicine and bandages," he explained.

"Who are they?"

"Bandits."

"Bandits?"

"Don't worry, they are good people."

Law shook his head in a mild exasperation. "You seem to use those words very easily."

"Not easily, no." Luffy smiled a smile with a touch of sadness and something else that the surgeon couldn't decipher. "Not anymore."

* * *

Law propped himself against the tree with his uninjured arm, a silent curse slipping through his lips.

He was still too weak and in too much pain, even disregarding the weakness brought upon by the sea stone cuffs. The surgeon allowed himself to rest for the whole day and became acquainted with Luffy. But the next morning, when Luffy went somewhere, he left.

Law was grateful to the kid—how could he not be?—but his pursuers were bound to show up soon, and he couldn't drag Luffy into his mess. Cora-san wanted to protect D, and Law chose to follow in his footsteps long time ago, that was why he couldn't stay here any longer.

Not that he knew where to go or what to do next, but that was beyond the point.

Trafalgar Law would never admit that he needed help anyway.

He was about to push himself from the tree and continue his sluggish hiking through the forest of gigantic trees when he heard a rustle and a deep growl behind him. He instantly spun around and froze at the sight of huge tiger eyeing him hungrily and crouching down for a pounce.

Law successfully jumped to the side as the beast descended, but his legs gave out as soon as he touched the ground and he collapsed, biting down the scream that threatened to tear out of his throat when a pure agony shot through his injuries. Sweat gathered on his forehead and black spots danced in his vision, and suddenly he was completely out of energy as if all of it was somehow sucked out.

The tiger roared in fury, stalking towards him. Law watched him approach, feeling dread twisting his gut into a knot.

This was not how he was supposed to die.

At best, he would have lived till old age. At worst, he would have perished in the fight against Doflamingo. But if this was how it ended, at least he would see his family and Cora-san sooner than he had planned…

A small smirk graced Law's lips almost unconsciously.

The tiger towered over him, its jaws open to swallow him whole when suddenly something slammed into its side. Such a powerful force sent the predator flying with a painful yelp.

Luffy landed in front of the stunned older raven with a soft thud of his sandals. "Just in time!" he cheered, turning around with his usual wide grin. It immediately faltered upon noticing how Law held himself. Those dark eyes narrowed, a slight furrow of his brow betraying genuine concern.

He said nothing though, and the surgeon felt grateful. He had already shown too much weakness and vulnerability in front of a stranger as it was.

Luffy's gaze snapped back on the tiger when it rose from the ground, growling fiercely. He dismissed it in the next instant, his eyes sliding past the beast and onto an inconspicuous spot in the surrounding trees and bushes.

A man walked out of it a few moments later.

Law stiffened as he remembered him: one of the Donquixote lackeys who was present on the ship were he had been held captive.

The man stopped, staring at the tiger, then at them. When his eyes landed on Law, recognition flashed across his features. "He's h—!" And that was all that the pirate managed to yell because Luffy was suddenly in front of him in a blur of motion, both of his arms whipping back from their outstretched position into his stomach, knocking him out for the count in a single hit.

The kid didn't let him fly away. He caught his body and swung it around with ease towards the hissing tiger. "For you, big boy," he commented as the body smacked the beast across his muzzle.

The tiger smashed its paw down on the unconscious man with a ferocious snarl before proceeding to tear at him with its teeth.

"We need to move, more are coming," Luffy said urgently, quickly walking to Law. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah," the surgeon mumbled, carefully pulling himself up with a groan.

This was honestly unexpected. Law had underestimated Luffy due to his young age, sunny grins, cheerful personality, and solicitous attitude. But the kid was surprisingly strong and downright ruthless. He lived in the wilds, so maybe that was why. Survival of the fittest, huh?

"They're already all over the place," Luffy spoke as they started to trudge slowly through the forest, his eyes flickering here and there as if following something that was out of his sight. The way he matched the speed of Law's wobbly steps wasn't lost on the latter either.

The surgeon was just beginning to think of what to do when Luffy turned to him, his alert scowl giving way to one of those big, happy grins. "Come on, I know a good place to hide," he said, tugging Law on the sleeve of his hoodie, which he himself gave to Law, and forcing him to change direction. "Ace and I found a cave when a storm caught us unprepared and we needed a shelter to wait it out."

Law sighed. His head was empty. He was tired, frustrated, and in great pain; exhausted beyond really doing anything about this situation. What could he do anyway? The fact that it meant him unintentionally putting all his trust in the boy went unnoticed. "Who's Ace?" he asked after a moment instead.

Luffy  _beamed_ : his grin stretched beyond a normal human's capabilities, his eyes lit up and face brightened up, his whole being glowing with a boundless adoration. "My big brother!" he announced in a subdued exclamation, then glanced to the left and immediately did a sharp turn to the right.

Law perceived that if his enemies weren't around, Luffy would have screamed that at the top of his lungs to the whole world to hear. "Where is he?" he inquired after they did another turn. If he didn't know better, the surgeon would have said that they were merely taking a stroll through the forest.

The boy's grin widened even more which, quite frankly, was becoming a bit disturbing. "He went out into the sea to become a pirate," he replied, his voice carrying an immense amount of pride. "I'll be leaving too when I'm seventeen. I'm gonna be the Pirate King! Shishishishi!"

Law raised an eyebrow at his declaration and then smirked, suddenly feeling amused. "It means that we'll be fighting for the same thing." Seeing a blank expression on the younger D's face, he added, "One Piece."

"That's right!" Luffy paused, frowning. "Are you also a pirate?"

"Yeah. I'm the captain of my own crew."

The boy's mouth formed 'O' as he stared at him in awe. "Ah, we're here," he said as he looked in front of him.

They were at the base of the mountains, and Law saw nothing but bushes and fallen rocks alongside the wall of stone.

"It's well-hidden," Luffy pointed out before chuckling. "If Ace wouldn't have slipped on the wet ground while running and slide straight into it, we would have never found it. Scared me so much when he suddenly disappeared."

After a few seconds going through the bushes, they entered the dark tunnel which opened up into a spacious cave chamber. There was a small pond of crystal clear water in the middle, surrounded by the patches of green where the sunlight reached the ground, shining through the holes and crevices in the rocky roof.

Law lowered himself onto the grass and leaned against the big rock with a relieved sigh.

"You can rest here, they won't find you," Luffy stated as he turned around to leave. "But to be sure, I'll see if I can lure them away."

The surgeon's head snapped up, eyes wide in disbelief before they narrowed in suspicion. "Wait." The boy stopped, glancing back. "You don't know me. Why are you helping?"

Luffy hummed softly as he stared somewhere beyond the walls of the cave, his hand coming to rest on the left side of his black bandana covered neck. "Because I was in your place once and I was denied help," he answered finally, looking back at the man with a gentle smile curling on his lips. "I don't want anyone to go through that, so that's why." His smile grew into a dazzling grin. "Besides, I like you! Shishishishi."

Law stayed silent, afraid that if he spoke, the voice would betray him. It wasn't this unknown kid standing before him all of a sudden, but Cora-san and his stupid grin and black feathers and 'I love you, Law' and snow, Doflamingo, gunshots, blood…

A straw hat landed on his head, startling Law out of his thoughts, thoughts that were quickly spiraling down into the dark place where he had never wanted to go. Luffy was in front of him, onyx eyes drilling into his amber ones, and his presence radiating reassuring strength.

"This straw hat is very important to me," he told him, straightening up and turning to leave again. "So, I'll definitely be back for it. Keep it safe, Traffy."

"…It's Law."

Luffy laughed. It was a rich, bright laugh, ringing off the stone walls. "Right. Sorry!"

And with a carefree hand wave, he was gone.

* * *

 **Next Chapter:**  The Stranger on the Dawn Island (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is no romance in this story. Any questions regarding romance or pairings will be ignored from now on as I won't be repeating myself again.
> 
> I'm not going to explain myself for this chapter either. I have no regrets though. Law is my favorite character, I love writing him, this is my story so I can do whatever I want with it, and I also have a plan. Yes, I do. Besides, considering that the last two chapters had beaten records in the number drop of favorites/followers (without any explanation whatsoever, which is NOT encouraging, guys, not one bit), I don't even care anymore. The self-indulgent plot for the win!


	24. The Stranger on the Dawn Island (Part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys even realize how awesome you all are? Just, wow, I wasn't expecting this much support and reassurance. And so many Law's fans too! Haha. I definitely felt so much better after reading all your reviews/comments, and the last chapter was surprisingly well accepted. Thank you!
> 
> Proofread by The Patient One

**-around 2 years ago, the Dawn Island-**

Like a silent bird of prey, Luffy perched on the branch high up in the tree and looked down at the two men traversing the forest. They were chatting and laughing about how this test was already in their pockets, how they were going to join the main crew, and also loudly wondering what kind of rewards they would get once they found the guy.

The teen's lips pulled back into a feral snarl, dark irises flashing with bloodlust.

Those people, those  _gods_ , loved their damn manhunting feasts. It was their favorite sport event, the most popular form of entertainment: hunting down helpless prey in the form of other humans. Sometimes shackled ones, sometimes almost starved to death, sometimes shot or slashed so that they would bleed and leave tracks for them to follow.

Occasionally, the same humans were used as hunting dogs instead of real hounds to pursue those who were prey in the macabre and cruel game. More exciting, they said, more thrilling.

The boy took a deep breath, calming himself, pushing the demons of the past back into the darkness from where they had slithered out. He had survived each and every of those hunts he had been forced into due to his Devil Fruit, his mystery power, pure luck, or sheer stubbornness; that was the most important thing.

This was not the time to lose his mind, and there was no need to confront all of these scums either. Luffy could feel all of them scattered around, and there were many. To fight all of them was not an option, especially when he could sense that at least two were so far above his level that he knew he had no chance of victory, and there were a bunch more who would pose a real threat.

The teen turned, intended to move towards the next group for observation. These men were moving away from the cave now and thus were of no interest to him.

"–not bad! That guy knew about the swords, I give him that."

Luffy paused, the words catching his attention. He looked at them again, frowning, then stretched his arm to grab the next tree and pulled himself into it, landing soundlessly on the branch right above two oblivious pirates.

"Hahahh-haha!" the blond one cackled crazily, looking at his blue-haired friend. "Where did you even get that?"

 _That_  apparently was a large sword, sheathed in a black scabbard decorated with white crosses and a small piece of red rope.

"Boss Diamante said that they didn't need it and that I can have it," the guy with a sword replied giddily, before he grinned and pulled out a white fur hat with a black dot pattern along the rim all around it. "Together with this!"

Luffy tilted his head to the side, thinking. Those dots reminded him of the ones on Law's jeans. Could it be his? He chuckled quietly, imagining his new friend with that hat. Yeah, it would actually suit him.

He observed his targets for a bit longer, feeling his anger rising when they both tried the hat, cackling mockingly like crazy.

These two were pissing him off. They needed to disappear.

Luffy jumped into another tree and then down, landing gracefully on the ground in a crouch at the moderate distance behind the pirates. He waited for the right moment, and, once the blond was facing forward, his arm suddenly shot towards the blue-haired man. Steely fingers wrapped around the latter's neck and yanked him back, eliciting a terrified scream.

"Sarkies!" the blond yelled out in surprise after his companion had been dragged into the bushes.

Luffy winded his other arm and smashed the struggling man into the dirt, unconsciously inserting much more strength into his punch than was required. Needless to say, the guy wouldn't be waking up anytime soon after that, if at all.

The boy heard an enraged roar, at the same time his mystery power warned him about incoming attack, and he twisted his body to the side, letting the blond fly past him harmlessly.

The man landed on the side of the tree and seemed to sink in before he sprung from it with a surprising force and speed that left an indent in the trunk.

Luffy ducked the charge to the side again, catching the sight of his opponent's legs turned into springs.

Devil Fruit user.

He tuned out all the screams and threats, concentrating on the man's movements, his body language, and the guidance of the mystery power. It was too dangerous to drag this out; fights with fruit users always turned out tricky and others might take notice of their confrontation. While the teen had confidence that he could run away—he knew this forest like the back of his hand, after all—he didn't want to expose himself unnecessarily or risk getting caught.

Luffy closed his eyes, focusing on his inner mystery power. Unbidden, the memories of the manhunts crawled out to the forefront of his mind again. The snarl returned with a vengeance, and he poured all of that vibrant energy into his right hand till the last drop.

The blond sprung towards him again with a furious, "DIE!"

"Gomu Gomu no…" the boy muttered under his breath, sending his arm back and then whipped forward. His fist, covered by a barely perceptible blackish sheen, met the man's mug in the middle with a sickening crack, using the latter's own momentum for a bigger impact. "…Pistol!"

Leaving only clouds of debris in its path, the blond's body flung backward crashing through trees and bouncing off the ground, and was out of Luffy's sight in an instant.

Luffy exhaled, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath. That took more out of him than he had expected. His break was short-lived; approaching voices echoed in the distance. He rushed to quickly collect the fur hat, grabbing the sword too just in case, and then took to the trees, disappearing into the foliage without a trace.

* * *

The Donquixote Pirates did not have a good time on the Dawn Island while searching for their runaway prisoner.

One group stumbled upon the nest of giant, poisonous snakes, when they came to investigate some kind of suspicious sound. Another somehow ended up falling from the cliff into the resting spot of man-eating alligators. Some were chased by the enormous and unreasonably infuriated predators, and when they rallied into the bigger group for safety, a baby gorilla that appeared in their midst out of nowhere and started wailing brought upon the wrath of its troop.

"What the hell is wrong with this forest?! It's rare enough to find this kind of viciousness in the Grand Line, and we're in the fricking  _East Blue!"_

"Shut up and ruuuuuu– Argh!"

Sitting high up in the tree, hidden from any prying eyes, Luffy sniggered as the men below got themselves pummeled into the ground by the riled up gorillas. This particular species was extremely hard to deal with, even he and Ace as a team struggled against the whole troop, so these poor sods had no chance whatsoever.

However, Luffy had no sympathy to spare for these bastards. They dared to bring manhunt onto his home island, dared to go after an injured and shackled person, a person that he decided to protect—no, they deserved all that and more.

He wondered what he should do to force these people into leaving his island. It wasn't like they knew for sure that Law was here, the only guy who had seen him ended up in the Lord's belly.

Suddenly, Luffy's head snapped up when a familiar presence entered the range of his ever-active mystery power. After a moment, a wicked grin stretched across his face. He quickly stood up and started to move towards one of the two strongest enemies.

The boy landed on the branch above the group. The man in a black long coat, sporting a white mask that covered the lower half of his face, goggles, and a top hat was tapping his feet impatiently with his arms crossed in front of his chest, a pistol in one of them. Another man was lying on the ground—Luffy could smell blood—while a few others just stood around, fidgeting helplessly and with a fair amount of fear etched on their features.

Luffy grimaced at the scene. The stranger's hat was especially agitating. An image of the curly blond boy with a warm grin under the similar top hat popped in his head, but he didn't let himself linger on the memory.

With a mischievous smirk dancing on his lips, the teen dropped down from the tree, allowing enemies to take a glimpse of him, and then immediately bolted.

"Catch him!" the guy in goggles boomed from behind. "Don't let him escape! He might know something!"

Luffy was quick and agile. Twigs snapped under his feet as he ducked beneath the intertwined roots of the ancient Mt. Colubo trees and dust flew up into the air as he jumped over fallen heavy trunks with barely an effort, blazing through the forest like a gust of wind.

His pursuers lacked his grace. They huffed and cursed, tumbling after him and trying to match his speed to no avail. The boy kept a constant distance between them, luring the pirates towards the familiar presence.

An explosion behind shook the ground under Luffy's feet, and he stumbled not expecting that. He instantly recovered though, shooting a glance over his shoulder and catching a sight of the broken tree trunk being blown high into the air.

The man in goggles was suddenly right behind him, reaching to grab him, and Luffy's eyes widened. He burst out from the forest and into the path, that extended all the way from the Foosha Village to the top of Mt. Colubo, a cry already leaving his mouth, "Grandpa, help!"

Garp's already scowling face twisted into something unsightly, something fierce, and his whole presence darkened, turning oppressive and violent, screaming  _dangerous_ loud and clear.

Flee.

That was Luffy's first impulse as this gigantic looming aura bore down on him. Acting purely on self-preservation instinct without any other thought, he dug his heels into the dirt in an impromptu stop, skidding through it due to his momentum, his body already in a process of whirling around to run away from what his senses clearly identified as a deadly threat.

Garp vanished from his spot, scattering dust into the air.

A light breeze ruffled Luffy's black hair.

Screams and shaking ground followed soon after.

When Luffy finally came to a full stop and turned around, everything was already over. His pursuers were strewed all over the place, some thrown into the surrounding trees, some buried into the earth.

Garp himself stood in the middle of that carnage, his hand clamped hard on the guy's with goggles throat, a murderous expression sitting on his face, teeth bared aggressively. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my grandson?" he ground out in a low growly voice.

Luffy stared wide-eyed, an overwhelming feeling of wonder and admiration stirring in his chest. He had never seen his grandpa like that: furious, brutal, domineering—frighteningly protective.

The pirate clawed at the grip of steel choking him, then suddenly his both forearms started to swell. Garp growled as he lifted his other hand, now completely covered in black, and punched the bastard into the ground. He didn't move again.

The old Marine's eyes instantly flickered on his young grandson, scanning his body, checking for any kind of injury. "Are you okay, Luffy? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"I'm fine," the teen assured with a small smile. "They couldn't even catch me."

"Bwahahahaha! That's my grandson!" Garp commended, reaching to pat the boy's head.

Luffy couldn't quite stop that little flinch the moment his grandfather's big palm touched his hair, the strength of the Fists of Love and accompanying pain ingrained into his brain forever.

Garp's expression grew somber with a tinge of something that caused Luffy to tilt his head in confusion. After a single gentle pat, the old man's hand dropped back to his side, and he turned to the beaten pirates, scowling. "Luffy, can you hide somewhere for a few days?" he asked, glancing over the tree line in front of him. "Your grandpa has some trash to clean up."

"Okay," the boy complied without argument. "They aren't good people."

"No, they aren't," Garp agreed. His eyes flicked down at the bodies around. "Guess I'll have to send my guys to pick these up," he muttered before looking at his grandson again. "Stay safe, Luffy."

Luffy flashed him a thumbs-up. "Kick their asses, grandpa!"

Garp grinned at his encouragement. "Of course!" And with that, he turned and soon disappeared into the forest.

The teen didn't move yet, instead stared at the pirate with goggles and spiky, light blue hair – the top hat he had previously worn nowhere in sight – then carefully sidled to him and nudged him with his foot. When there was no sign of him waking up, Luffy crouched down and started to go through his pockets. After a moment, a hundred-watt grin spread on his face and he straightened up with a joyful, "Aha! Lucky~!"

Squeezing the newly found item tightly in his fist, Luffy pivoted on his heel and raced into the forest – first towards the spot where he stashed the hat and the sword, and then back to the cave.

* * *

Law lashed out the moment someone tapped his shoulder, even before fully awake. Just a feathery touch, but it was enough for him to imagine the worst, sending a wave of panic and fear through his frazzled mind and tightened nerves.

The person ducked under his clumsy swing with a quiet, almost cheerful, "Whoops."

Law blinked, trying to shake off the sleepiness and exhaustion, instinctively reaching for Kikoku and immediately remembering that it wasn't there–

His fingers wrapped around the intimately familiar sheath, the rope pressing into the inside of his palm, and the feeling of reassuring strength in the weight of his blade, of relief, of safety that came with it, left him in a stunned, befuddled daze.

"So, it's yours, then?"

The question snapped Law out of his astonished stupor, and his eyes flicked from his nodachi up to Luffy's face.

"You grabbed it right from my hands," the boy said when Law failed to utter anything. "Oh. Sorry for waking you up, by the way."

"Where–" the man paused before clearing his dry throat, unconsciously bringing Kikoku to rest on his shoulder, the comfortable weight calming him down. "Where did you find it?"

Luffy smirked, a perfect blend of smugness and gleeful pride. "Some assholes had it, so I beat them up. Also found this." He pulled out the fur hat. "Is it yours too?"

"Yes," Law replied, slowly taking it from the younger raven, only to realize that the latter's straw hat was missing from his own hand, and then the fact that he had actually attacked the kid. Amber eyes quickly scanned Luffy's body up and down. Thankfully, there were no visible injuries – from him or from Doflamingo lackeys.

Luffy put his straw hat on, which he most likely picked up after Law dropped it while attacking, and held it down, tilting his head forward to hide his eyes, a dazzling grin stretching under it. "I also brought this!" he all but exploded in excitement, whipping his arm in front of Law's face.

The surgeon leaned back to focus on the thing in his grip. Instantly, disbelief sprouted in his heart because it couldn't be. It should have been with Diamante or at least Gladius, and even if Luffy was able to win against random goons, there was no way that he was strong enough to go against officers of Donquixote Pirates.

But it was right there. In front of his eyes.

A key.

There was no way, right?

Luffy hummed in satisfaction. "Let's check if it fits," he said, pushing it into the keyhole of Law's cuffs, carefully avoiding touching it directly. After a twist, cuff opened up with a soft click, the sound almost too loud in the deadly silence of the cave.

Law stared at his freed hand, feeling the energy and strength rushing through his veins now that they were not sapped by that accursed sea prism stone, his mind stuck in the incredulity of this situation. Effortlessly, a  _room_ swirled in his palm upon his mental command. Like usual. Just another sign that he truly was free.

Just… how?

Law looked at the boy again, clenching his hand into a fist, willing his fruit powers away. "…How?" a question came out as a whisper, but he didn't really care at this moment. Somehow, he managed to cram all of his rising immense gratitude into that one word.

Luffy let out a short carefree laugh. "Those jerks were really unlucky to land here on the day when my grandpa came for a visit," he explained. "He knocked out the guy with goggles, mask, and the hair like thaaaaat." He made a motion with his arms from his head to the sides, emphasizing his words. Gladius, Law realized. "And I checked him just in case, cause he's strong, so I thought maybe he's one of the bosses and might have it. Bosses always have this kind of things," the teen babbled happily, grinning. "And I was right!"

"Your grandfather knocked him out?"

"Yep. With a single hit! That was so cool!" Luffy cheered. "Grandpa is very strong and he's gonna take care of the rest. They don't even know that you're here, we just need to stay hidden for a few days," he continued as his expression softened and his toothy grin smoothed out into something warm and understanding. "So, you don't need to worry."

_You're safe. No one is going to hurt you._

Law's lips twitched up into a small smile while his now free hand covered his eyes. "Unbelievable," he muttered.

What chances were for him to wash up on this particular island and be found by another D? For the latter to come upon the person who had his stuff? For his grandfather – whoever he was – to choose today to come here? For him to knock out the person who had that particular key?

All of these events were small miracles by themselves, but all of them happening consecutively was absolutely preposterous.

He never had been this lucky.

It was a sheer surprise that he had survived at all, not mentioning being freed from the sea stone and successfully eluding the notice of Donquixote Pirates. Apart from him ending up stranded in the East Blue, everything else turned out alright.

A thought of Doflamingo developing an aneurysm from letting him slip right from under his nose made Law chuckle in dark amusement.

A hiss of disgust and a splash of water startled the older raven. He looked up, catching sight of Luffy glaring at the pond, circles of tiny waves marring its previously perfect glassy surface. One glance down revealed cuffs gone from his side.

Luffy turned back to him, a beaming grin plastered firmly on his face. "Ne, Traffy, what kind of Devil Fruit do you have?"

"It's Law."

"Right. …So, what kind of Devil Fruit?"

The surgeon stared at the kid blankly before sighing in defeat. "You're just gonna keep calling me that, aren't you?"

"Shishishishi."

* * *

**-a week later-**

Law smirked as he watched another thug skedaddle out of sight at the first notice of Luffy. This was pretty hilarious. It seemed that the kid had his dominance established not only in the vast forest of Mt. Colubo, but this trash dump too.

Speaking of the kid… He got unusually quiet the closer they came to the Goa Kingdom's main city. Law shot a sideways glance at him and couldn't help but frown.

Luffy's whole body language screamed anxiety and agitation. He wasn't scared of his surroundings though, those hardened onyx eyes didn't flicker around, searching for a threat, but stared straight ahead at the colossal wall that circled the city.

The Goa Kingdom was also their current destination. With the danger of Donquixote Pirates gone and his injuries healing nicely, Law wanted to contact his crew. The submarine wouldn't be finished just yet—building such a thing was much harder than a common ship and required more precise work, not to mention parts that they had to ship from other places—but even if it were, his crew would stay around the shipyard. They didn't know what exactly happened to him so they wouldn't be moving from the spot where he could find them.

Trying to call the shipwright company seemed like the only way to get hold of his men. And for that, Law needed a Den Den Mushi powerful enough to reach the North Blue. Considering that the Goa Kingdom was a rich seaport city, it definitely had considerable local and international traffic of people and cargo, and thus Law hoped to find such snail in a bar or an inn at the port.

Luffy offered to guide him, but looking at the latter's tense small (too small for an almost fifteen years old teenager) frame, Law wondered if he should have refused and went alone.

"Luffy-ya, I'm positive that I can find my way around in the city, you don't have to go," he said, narrowing his eyes at the tiny flinch when he spoke all of a sudden.

"It's been years from the last time I was in there, but I still remember the way to the port," the teen replied quietly, keeping his voice carefully even. "It's fine. I can do it."

Well, it wasn't his place to dictate what the kid should do and what he shouldn't, so the surgeon said nothing more. Besides, sometimes demons of the past needed to be confronted so that they wouldn't drag you even deeper. Of course, Law was in no position to preach on that particular topic; he was running from his own demons and ghosts as long as he could remember.

They stopped right next to the wall, hidden in its enormous shade and behind mountains of trash from any unwanted attention. Law raised his head up to peer at the top. This was one big ass wall. He pondered what these people were so afraid of to voluntarily imprison themselves behind such monstrosity.

"You ready?" Luffy asked. His eyebrows were knitted in concentration as he stared in front of him without really seeing anything. "There are no people on the other side at the moment."

Law removed his eyes from the top of the wall. "Yeah," he replied as he lifted his hand, summoning a  _room_  into existence with a single thought. They had worked out the plan before coming here, choosing the easiest way to get inside by using their both unique abilities. One twist of his tattooed fingers and they stood on the other side of the wall, leaving only two trash bins in their previous spot.

"So cool," Luffy cheered with a ghost of a grin present on his face.

Law breathed out, flexing his injured arm, and then smirked, satisfied. Using his Devil Fruit didn't put a strain on it anymore. Good. He looked around an empty alley. There really wasn't anyone here.

Luffy's mystery power, as the boy dubbed it, truly was mysterious. It seemed much stronger than what Haki could do. Or at least what little Law knew about Haki from the bits and pieces of information he'd heard during his time with Donquixote Pirates.

"The quickest way to the port would be going through the main street."

Law glanced at the younger raven and said, "Lead the way, then."

Luffy seemingly hesitated for a split second before starting to walk. Law followed after, keeping an eye on him, taking note of all the anxiety signs. It really was a jarring change in image from the self-confident, overly exuberant wild boy from the forest to this frightened child.

Luffy literally jumped when a person slammed the door of the nearby building.

The surgeon sighed. "Luffy-ya," he called out.

The teen shot him an apologetic glance. "Sorry."

"Tell me about Ace."

Luffy stopped short. This time his gaze was full of surprise and stayed glued to the man's face. "What?"

"Tell me about your brother," Law requested again, his tone light and nonchalant. He wasn't even looking at the kid at the moment, his amber eyes scanning the surroundings, Kikoku resting on his shoulder in a relaxed manner.

With his face blank, the boy stared right at him, his eyes searching. Then, slowly, his lips stretched into a small but genuine grin. "I was right, you're a good person," he stated as a matter-of-fact.

Law turned back to him with a scowl.

"You two are similar in the way that…" Luffy trailed off with a soft hum. Without clarification what he meant, he started to walk again. "I met Ace when I was seven and he was ten. At first, he didn't like me one bit! Tried to kill me so many times, shishishishi."

Law raised an eyebrow at his cheery attitude speaking about such a thing. And besides, what kind of relationship started with one trying to kill anoth—

A memory of a dagger sinking into Corazon's back flashed through his mind and his mouth curled into a wry smile. Right. Sometimes that was how the strongest bond began.

Luffy kept babbling about Ace and, even if his eyes occasionally flickered around in anticipation of danger and he appeared still on edge, he calmed down significantly.

At least until they stepped onto the main street.

Luffy's speech died abruptly in mid-word and he just froze, his face draining of all color.

"Luffy-ya?" Law called. When he got no answer, he stepped in front of the boy and leaned down to look straight into his eyes. "Luffy," he said a bit sharper. That earned him a slight flinch, but those wide and fearful onyx orbs kept staring somewhere through him.

The surgeon furrowed his brow, concern fluttering over his features. This seemed like a PTSD flashback. Quite a strong one too. Good thing that the kid could still hear him. Law racked his brain for the best approach to the victim of the flashback. It was one thing to deal with it when he had them himself after Cora-san's death, but the completely different thing to help someone else.

"Luffy, you're safe. Whatever you're seeing is in the past. This is now, and you're safe," he said in a firm, calm tone.

The boy tried to take a shaky half-breath, but it instantly hitched in his throat again.

"Luffy, can I touch you?"

"D-don't…"

No surprise there. "Alright, I'm not going to touch you, Luffy," the pirate reassured. "But I'll stay here with you. Or would you feel better if I wasn't this close? I can step aw–"

"No!" Luffy's hand shot up and caught the older man's wrist in a death grip, causing Law to wince. "P-please, don't leave," he pleaded in a whisper. "They– They– Don't let them t-take me again."

Law's scowl deepened. Kidnapping, huh. And most likely a torture too if all those scars that he had accidentally seen were any indication.

"It's okay, Luffy," he continued, ignoring the boy's painful grasp on his hand. Fortunately, it wasn't his injured one. "You're safe. No one is going to hurt you." And wasn't it ironic to return those words to the person who told them to him first? "Just focus on my voice, Luffy. Don't let those memories control you. They are not real, we're here in the present and everything's okay."

Luffy took another deep breath. This time it went smoothly through his pipe to his lungs and he closed his eyes, eyebrows drawn together in his effort to ground himself while his other hand went up to clutch at the rim of his straw hat.

"Oh my, do you need help?"

Law looked up at the owner of an unfamiliar voice. A couple of senior citizens was looking at them, something akin to worried curiosity written on both their faces. "We're fine," he said curtly, glancing at his young companion to make sure these people didn't make it worse.

The old lady frowned in disbelief. "But there seems to be something wrong with the boy," she argued.

Law saw her reaching for Luffy's shoulder, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't touch him," he demanded, stopping her hand with the sheath of his sword, and she recoiled back. "I'm a doctor. He'll be fine."

The woman brought a palm over her mouth, shooting a petulant glare at them. "Distasteful," she mumbled under her breath.

Law clicked his tongue in a great ire when Luffy cringed from her obvious display of disgust.

The old man eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of doctor is carrying a sword?" he asked.

"The kind that's gonna chop your heads off if you don't go away right now," the surgeon snapped, finally losing his patience. He kept his voice deliberately low as a threat and also to not scare Luffy even more.

He had to admit that he was acting a tad bit protective, feelings long lost after Lami's death stirring against his better judgment, but he owed the kid so much that helping him go through something this traumatic didn't even start paying it off.

Trafalgar Law always paid his debts.

The pirate glowered after the retreating forms of the old couple, when Luffy's grip on his wrist suddenly eased up.

Despite the boy's ashy complexion, he was definitely back to reality. "Thanks, Law," he said quietly.

Law observed him for a few seconds, feeling weird hearing Luffy calling him by his preferred name, then let out a small sigh. "We can take the longer route, there's no rush," he suggested, absentmindedly shaking the numbness out of the hand that Luffy held onto.

The boy observed his action wordlessly. "But your nakama—" he started before the older D cut him off.

"Waited this long and can wait a bit longer."

Luffy hesitated.

Feeling slightly exasperated, the surgeon rolled his eyes. Goodness knew this brat could use being just a bit selfish once in a while.

Someone shouted down the main street.

Luffy conceded immediately, swiveling around and hurrying back into the side alley they had walked out previously.

Law followed suit, a small satisfied smirk toying with a corner of his mouth.

* * *

**-presently, somewhere in the East Blue, the Going Merry-**

Luffy put the last bite into his mouth and pushed the plate away, indicating that he was done.

Sanji, who at that exact moment placed down another bowl of roasted meat on the table, scowled at his action. "Eat," he ordered, glowering down at the seated straw-hatted teen.

Luffy cast a single fleeting glance at him. "Nah, I'm good," he declared before turning to face Usopp, sitting in front of him on the other side of the table. "Ne, Usopp, let's go fishing!"

The cook shot a warning glare at the sniper. The latter gulped as he got the hint and instead of agreement, what left his mouth was, "You should really eat more, Luffy."

The captain frowned, a spectrum of emotions flickering across his expression until it settled on conscientiously crafted neutral. He said nothing, though.

Sanji exhaled a cloud of smoke, tapping the butt of his cigarette at the corner of the ashtray. "I've seen how much you can eat. This plate doesn't amount even a quarter of that, does it?" Sanji chided. He pushed a bowl towards the younger teen. "So, eat."

Nami pursed her lips disapprovingly at the blond's pushy behavior, but didn't move to stop him.

The only one who was missing from the galley was Zoro. They were unable to wake the swordsman up and left him napping against the mast.

Luffy stared up at his cook. He knew how much he could eat better than anyone else, but they were in the middle of the sea with limited supplies and no nearby islands. What if they ran out of food? He didn't want his nakama to starve. He was used to that, they weren't.

The boy realized that Sanji had only good intentions, but he couldn't help a sudden feeling of being threatened, and the blond towering over his seated form only strengthened it. Without saying anything, he stood up, intended to leave.

Sanji tsked. "You shitty rubber, do I need to chain you up and force feed you?"

Luffy froze mid-move, his whole body going rigid.

_Just chain it up and force feed it!_

He was not on the Going Merry anymore, not even in the East Blue. He was back in that room, forced to kneel before that person, sea stone cuffs biting into his skin, draining his strength, leaving him weak and hopeless and at the mercy of those people.

" _Saint Kenjord, he's refusing to eat. Probably noticed that his food had been drugged lately."_

" _I don't care! Just chain it up and force feed it! I need this pet ready for today's match!"_

Luffy heard a distant echo of his name before he felt a touch on his shoulder. He lashed out, momentarily forgetting where or with whom he was.

He knew what he was experiencing right now wasn't real; Law explained this to him. It was just a flashback, becoming a wounded piece of himself that had been sliced off during his time in that place and hung there, suspended in that horrifying past.

It wasn't real. Not real, not real, not real…

He knew that, yet still could clearly feel rough and sweaty hands manhandling him, grabbing, dragging, shackling him down, prying his mouth open, stuffing their food down his throat. He didn't like it. It always made him sick, like his body and blood was on fire, leaving his mind in shambles, causing him to be restless and angry. So,  _so_ angry, angry enough to tear anyone in sight apart.

Luffy couldn't recall how he ended up outside, leaning over the railing, acidic taste of bile clinging to his tongue. His body was hot and uncomfortable, the disgusting, sickening feeling of those hands crawling like larvae just under his skin, out of reach. He wanted it gone, to rip his skin off to make it disappear.

The sea. The seawater was supposed to be cold and refreshing.

He vaulted over the railing and into the deep abyss below.

"Luffy!" Nami and Usopp screamed in horror. Before they could even move, a blur of white and green shot past them. Zoro, who had been sleeping soundly till now, dove overboard without a moment's hesitation.

"Rope! We need a rope! Or ladder!" Usopp panicked, scrambling inside in search of the rope.

Sanji walked to the railing and stopped next to the navigator. He looked down, absentmindedly rubbing his cheek that was still red and stinging after Luffy had punched him. "The hell is this about?" he mumbled under his breath, his eyes quickly scanning the surface of the sea, searching for a familiar green-head and their idiot captain.

Silently, Nami pressed Luffy's straw hat to her chest as she also observed the sea, waiting.

After an excruciatingly long several seconds, Zoro finally emerged from below the sea and began swimming one-armed towards the ship. At the same time, Usopp showed up with a simple rope ladder and tossed it down.

The swordsman made it to the ladder and latched onto it, adjusting the rubbery teen to hang over his shoulders, but Luffy reached for the ladder to climb himself. Zoro let him without any objection, just silently supporting his weakened body so that he wouldn't end up in the ocean again.

Slowly, they both climbed back onto Merry.

"Thanks, Zoro," Luffy said quietly as his feet landed on the deck.

"Sure," the man replied nonchalantly, however his sharp silver eyes fixed on his captain's back was anything but nonchalant.

"Luffy…" Nami trailed off, biting her lip, unsure of what to say. This episode was as bad as that night terror, maybe even worse.

Luffy's gaze flicked to her, then down at his straw hat. "Thanks, Nami," he spoke in the same flat tone, taking his treasured hat from her, but didn't put it back on. He turned to leave. "Going to change."

Sanji gritted his teeth in frustration. "Hey, wait!" he ordered, unconsciously lifting his arm to stop the teen from walking away. "Expl—"

Luffy smacked his approaching hand away. Lips pulled into a snarl, he faced the blond and hissed, "Do not touch me." He maintained his glare for a bit before continuing towards the hatch of the boys' room, leaving a wet trail behind.

Once he was inside and out of earshot, Zoro turned to the other three pirates and scowled, a mute demand to explain. When no one spoke, he barked out, "What happened?"

"W-We don't know!" Usopp stammered out in defense.

"One moment we were eating and then…" Nami knitted her brow, contemplating. "I… I think he might have been triggered by your words, Sanji-kun."

"What did he say?" Zoro asked. His scowl deepened when Nami reverted her eyes while Usopp simply seemed confused. He rounded on the cook. "What did you say?"

"That I'm gonna chain him up and force feed—"

Zoro fisted his hand into the lapel of the cook's suit and slammed him into the mast. Usopp squeaked startled. Nami recoiled in fright from the swordsman's sudden aggression.

Sanji, however, held his fellow crewmate's glare evenly, but didn't fight against being manhandled. He had already figured out that for some reason his words worked as a trigger for Luffy. He felt guilty, yeah, but he would have lied if he said that he wasn't aggravated by Luffy's attitude.

"Freedom for Luffy is everything," Zoro growled. "Idiot," he spat, shoving the blond. Then he collected his sword and boots and sauntered off, some of his anger and irritation leaking to show in his stride.

Sanji pulled out a new cigarette and lighted it up. "Dammit," a silent curse slipped past his lips. "I'm gonna go talk with Luffy."

"You think that's a good idea?" Usopp asked uncertainly.

"Like I have a choice," the cook replied under his breath. He walked to the hatch and ripped it open. Not bothering with a ladder, he simply jumped inside, landing smoothly on the wooden floor.

"Now listen, Luf—" Sanji didn't finish, his voice getting strangled somewhere along his throat.

The hatch above fell close, plunging the room into the half-darkness, but not before Sanji laid his eyes on Luffy's back, the latter caught off guard and not fast enough to pull his new dry shirt over it.

The lit cigarette hit the floor, throwing glowing specks of cinder in a small circle around it.

"That's…" Sanji spoke breathlessly. "That's a slave brand."

* * *

**Next Chapter:**  Dead or Alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story has its own TV Tropes page: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/BoyWithAScar


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